No Day but Today
by Constance1
Summary: Draco runs away when he is overwhelmed by his feelings for Harry, only to discover that his worst nightmare has come true. SLASH. COMPLETE.
1. Three Little Words

_                                                                                                           ~ The heart may freeze, or it can burn  
                                                                                                                the pain will ease if I can learn -  
                                                                                                                 there is no future, there is no past  
                                                                                                                I live this moment as my last ~  
  
_  
  


            Ron Weasley stood at the kitchen counter of his London flat, tossing a large salad and keeping his ears tuned to the radio on the windowsill. The well known wizard broadcaster, Tony Parsons, was just finishing his update on the war against Voldemort.  
  
"There have been no new attacks for the past week," he reports. "Which undoubtedly means You-Know-Who is formulating his next strike. Everyone should be on their guard and report anything unusual immediately. Until tomorrow, I'm Tony Parsons and have a safe evening."  
  
The radio suddenly clicked off as Hermione turned the knob with a sigh. Ron glanced over and decided to abandon the salad and wrap his arms comfortingly around his wife.  
  
"I don't like it, Ron," she mumbled into his chest. "So many attacks and deaths in the last three months and now...nothing."  
  
"Try not to think about it, 'Mione," he said, holding her at arms length so that he could look into her face. "Let's just try and have a nice, normal dinner for once."  
  
Hermione smiled apologetically up at him. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't get so depressed when all our family and friends are still alive and well."  
  
With that she stepped back and looked into the next room with a tender smile. Ron followed her gaze through the sliding glass door to where Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were curled up together on the sofa, reading the latest letter from Sirius.  
  
Ron smiled and shook his head in amazement.  
  
"Still can't quite believe it can you?" Hermione chuckled.  
  
Ron's smile widened as he went over to the fridge to get the salad dressing. "Well, who would've imagined this two years ago?" He paused, sorting through the bottles on the shelf. "But I would give my right arm to know exactly what happened inside Malfoy Manor when Harry was held there and this whole thing started."  
  
"Yeah, you and me both," Hermione mumbled, watching the two lovers thoughtfully. The firelight was casting a warm glow on their pale skin; reflecting off of Harry's dark locks as his head rested contentedly on Draco's shoulder. Draco folded up the letter, wrapped his arms around Harry and gently placed a kiss on the top of his hair.  
  
Hermione smiled at the sight. "You have to admit that you've never seen Harry as happy and content as he's been this past year," she concluded, walking over to the oven to check on the lasagne.  
  
"I guess so," Ron admitted grudgingly. "But I don't completely trust Malfoy yet, and I don't see how Harry could forgive him so easily for all that crap he made us go through in school."  
  
"It's amazing what sex can do."  
  
"Hermione!" Ron cried.  
  
"I'm sorry," Hermione laughed, looking at the expression of horror on Ron's face. "But Harry trusts him and he's your best friend, so you should at least make the effort to forgive and forget too."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes and added the raspberry vinaigrette to the spinach salad.  
  
"Aha! It's ready," Hermione announced, lifting the heavy pan from the oven.  
  
"Finally, I'm starving." Ron inhaled the smell of melted cheese and Italian spices deeply.  
  
"You know, we should have bought some garlic bread too," Hermione said, staring at the lasagne with a frown.  
  
"Are we actually going to eat some time tonight or should I just continue wasting away in your living room?"  
  
Ron turned to glare at the form of Draco Malfoy lounging against the now open doorframe.  
  
"Yes, it's ready," Hermione quickly intercepted. "You and Harry can go sit down and we'll bring it in."  
  
She shot her husband a warning look as Harry came up behind Draco, took his elbow and gently led him away to the dining table.  
  
"Smells great, 'Mione!" he called over his shoulder.  
  
Hermione smiled at him and then turned to Ron. "Please try to behave tonight, the point of this dinner was to give Harry a peaceful and relaxing evening remember?"  
  
"Did I say anything?" Ron asked with wide-eyed innocence.  
  
Hermione snorted and picked up the lasagne with one hand. "No, but you were about to. So try and play nice with the other kids, hmm?" she asked sweetly patting him on the cheek.  
  
With a smile she swept out of the room carrying the lasagne firmly in front of her. Ron shook his head with a smile and grabbed the salad.

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *                      

            After dessert, the four former classmates lounged in the living room; Harry and Ron in the midst of a very intense conversation about the new Firebolt Gold and Hermione and Draco drinking coffee in companionable silence.  
  
"But Harry, this new broom was _made_ for dives. Can you imagine the Wronski Feint on it? How can you not want one when your best move _is diving?"  
  
"I know, but that new curve it has in the handle restricts speed when you're flying straight or up. I'd rather have the speed of the original Firebolt than the diving magnifications of the Gold series."  
  
"Name one time you caught the snitch without using a dive?"  
  
"That's not the point, most of the time I have to fly to the other side of the stadium before even going into a dive. I still have to have the speed to go after any seeker who might be closer to the snitch then me," Harry argued, waving his hands in demonstration.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and took a sip of coffee while the two young men argued on.  
  
"They really must find something else to talk about other than Quidditch," she mused to herself, and was about to say so to Draco when she caught the look on his face.  
  
He was leaning back in the couch with his left ankle across his right knee and his fingers absently stroking the rim of his coffee mug. His sole focus was on Harry. Hermione wondered what Draco was thinking about as he watched him, those mysterious grey eyes that only seemed to see Harry.  
  
Hermione smiled and felt a rush of warmth towards the blond man who obviously cared very deeply about her best friend.  
  
A loud knocking on the front door suddenly disturbed the contentment of the cozy room.  
  
"Already?" Ron asked in dismay, glancing at the clock on the mantle.  
  
"Sorry, Ron," Harry apologized as he reached for the cloak slung over the back of his chair and got to his feet.  
  
"I'll tell them you're coming," Draco said, rising and placing his mug on the coffee table.  
  
Hermione stood and looked at Harry. "Maybe they could come in for some dessert or coffee?" she asked, not wanting the night to be over so soon.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, 'Mione," Ron laughed. "Can you imagine those Ministry guards sitting here eating strawberry short-cake and drinking tea?"  
  
"They're still people you know!" Hermione countered defensively, hands on hips.  
  
"Uh oh, make way for POMGA," Ron whispered to Harry, as he helped him on with his cloak.  
  
"POMGA?" Harry asked, as they headed towards the front entranceway.  
  
"Prevention of Ministry Guard Abuse."  
  
Hermione glared at them as they threw back their heads and laughed.  
  
Draco stood at the front door with two very large wizards dressed in long, black robes with the Ministry of Magic emblem emblazoned on the front. He turned at the sound of Harry's laughter and smiled.  
  
"Ready, Harry?" he asked as the two guards stepped outside to survey the empty street.  
  
Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, giving each one a hug and whispering in Hermione's ear that his guards probably did eat dessert but that they wouldn't do so on the job anyway. She smiled gratefully at him as he walked over to join Draco.  
  
"Thanks for dinner," Draco said, taking Harry's hand and turning towards the street.  
  
"Goodbye!" Harry called over his shoulder with a wave.  
  
"Bye, Harry!" Ron called back.  
  
"Goodbye, Draco," Hermione shouted pointedly, glancing at Ron.  
  
They stood in the doorway until Harry and Draco were safely inside the Ministry car and watched as it pulled away into the night.  
  
"As much as I hate those Ministry guards, I sure am a lot less worried about him when they're around," Ron said, closing the door behind them.  
  
"Me too. I'm so glad Dumbledore ordered them to watch over Harry, even though I know he hates being 'baby-sat' as he calls it."  
  
Ron put his arm around Hermione's shoulders as they walked back into the kitchen.  
  
"Ugh, look at all this," Hermione moaned, on seeing the pile of dirty dishes and the brimming trash can.  
  
"Why don't we get a house-elf?" Ron asked cheekily.  
  
"No," Hermione answered with a playful shove. "We'll just leave it until tomorrow."  
  
"Brilliant," Ron said, stifling a yawn.  
  
With that, the two turned their backs on the mess and went upstairs to bed.  
  
_

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *                        


            Harry and Draco stood with clasped hands in the hallway outside Harry's flat as they waited for the guards to finish their security check. Draco moved closer, nuzzling the soft, raven hair under his nose and inhaling the familiar scent of shampoo, before raising his arm to gently press his lips to the back of Harry's hand. Harry leaned back into Draco's embrace and sighed contentedly until one of the guards suddenly appeared in the doorway.  
  
"All clear, Mr. Potter. Remember to call us if you need to go anywhere tomorrow," he said in a deep, business-like voice. He then nodded a brisk farewell before striding down the hall with his partner.  
  
Harry watched them leave with a resentful look on his face. Draco laughed and pulled him into the apartment.  
  
"Now, now, Mr. Potter. Dumbledore's orders."  
  
Harry smirked at him and struggled to unwrap himself from Draco's arms. "I think I've forgotten what it's like to be alone," he grumbled.  
  
"You are alone, Harry," Draco whispered against his ear. "I've got you all to myself."  
  
Harry stopped struggling as Draco's lips started kissing down the back of his neck, his scalp tingling from the warm air being blown across his sensitive skin.  
  
Draco reached around to unclasp Harry's cloak, letting it fall from his shoulders to the ground. Harry closed his eyes as Draco's hands slipped inside his shirt and began running soft palms all over his bare chest. He suddenly wanted more contact with Draco, so he swivelled around and pushed the full length of his body up against him.  
  
They stood staring eye-to-eye as their arms enveloped each other. Deep, dazzling emerald gazing into a storm of luminescent grey.  
  
"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, Harry," Draco breathed.  
  
Harry didn't know what to say, so he leaned forward and captured Draco's lips with his own, one hand coming up to grip the back of his neck. Draco closed his eyes and gently ran his tongue over Harry's bottom lip, the taste of strawberries still lingering on the soft surface.  
  
Draco smiled. "You taste like strawberries," he mumbled against Harry's lips.  
  
"You too."  
  
Draco pulled his head back and looked into Harry's eyes again. "Were you trying to drive me crazy on purpose tonight?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"During dessert you had this little drop of whipped cream right at the corner of your mouth for about five minutes, I wanted to lick it off so badly that I was about to jump you right in front of the Weasels."  
  
"Don't call them that," Harry admonished, then added with an evil smile. "Because I have ways of making you suffer..."  
  
"Really?" Draco asked with a raised brow. "How?"  
  
"Like this." Harry suddenly thrust his hips against Draco's, pinning him to the wall. Draco let out a gasp that quickly turned into a moan as Harry slowly rubbed himself up against him.  
  
"I wouldn't really call this suffering, Harry," Draco smiled dazedly, his eyes half-closed.  
  
"No, but this is." Harry suddenly stopped and walked off down the hall.  
  
Draco stared in wide-eyed amazement before tearing after him with a growl. Harry turned around and yelped at the sight of Draco bearing down on him, and quickly braced himself against the wall as Draco almost slammed right into him.  
  
"Oh, you're going to pay for that Potter."  
  
Draco placed a hand on either side of Harry's head and kissed him full on the mouth. Harry snickered, then quickly gave into it, opening his lips to allow Draco's tongue to delve deeper. The kiss quickly turned more passionate as Draco lifted Harry up and wrapped his legs around his waist, never breaking the almost frantic contact between their lips. Harry leaned his head back to get some air while Draco licked the underside of his jaw.  
  
"...bedroom..." Harry panted.  
  
Draco carried him down the hall to his room and gently laid him across the bed. He sat astride Harry's hips, one knee on each side, and quickly removed his shirt while Harry watched with hungry eyes. Then he removed Harry's jumper and threw them both on the floor. Harry reached out his arms to touch Draco's chest before pulling him down on top of him, their lips burning against each other and their hands caressing naked skin. Harry squeezed his legs tighter around his lover, his entire body burning with desire.  
  
"God, I want you so much," Harry moaned.  
  
"Harry..." Draco whispered, trailing kisses down his firm chest and stomach. He lapped at his belly-button and reached out a hand to cup Harry's erection, Harry arching beneath him.  
  
"Please, Draco..." he whimpered.  
  
Draco placed one last kiss on Harry's lips before standing up. He ran his hands up Harry's thighs to the waistband of his jeans and slowly unzipped them, Harry wriggled beneath him in impatience. Draco grabbed the waistband of his underwear too and removed them with the pants in one swift movement. After discarding them, Draco turned to look at Harry; he was sprawled across the bed, his naked body bathed in moonlight and his beautiful, emerald eyes glowing intensely.  
  
Draco's breath caught in his throat at the sight.  
  
Harry blushed under the intense gaze and sat up, crawled over to where Draco was standing and reached for the fly on his black trousers. Draco groaned softly as Harry applied slightly more pressure than was necessary and pulled down the constricting garment.  
  
"Hmmm...no underwear?" Harry looked up at him with raised brows. "If I'd known that earlier, I definitely would've jumped you at Ron and Hermione's."  
  
"I'll have to remember that in the future," Draco smirked, stepping out of his trousers and kicking them aside.  
  
Harry scooted back until his elbows were resting on the pillow near the headboard. Draco crawled over and slowly lowered himself along Harry's body, their arms and legs entwining immediately. Draco looked into Harry's eyes again, never able to get enough. He reached up and gently removed Harry's glasses and placed them on the bedside table. Now he could clearly see into their very depths and he felt as if he was drowning.  
  
"Make love to me, Draco," Harry asked huskily.  
  
Draco raised himself up on one elbow and kissed him deeply, his hand reaching down to once again stroke Harry's erection. Harry moaned loudly and thrust himself against Draco's hand.  
  
Draco moved his mouth to Harry's chest, licking and suckling each nipple in turn, increasing the pace of the other hand on Harry's hard shaft. Harry reached over, grabbed his wand from under the pillow and handed it to Draco. Draco looked into his eyes and muttered the lubricous charm, thickly coating Harry's entrance and himself.  
  
Draco moved his head between Harry's legs, gently biting the soft skin of his inner thighs, before crawling up to his erection and slowly sucking the length of it into his mouth. Harry cried out in ecstasy and curled his fingers in Draco's soft, silvery hair. Draco swiped his tongue up the entire length before stopping to position himself at Harry's entrance. Harry nodded and opened his legs wider. He slowly slid himself inside as Harry closed his eyes and tried to relax.  
  
"Are you okay?" Draco asked when he was fully encompassed in Harry's eager body.  
  
"Don't stop..." Harry gasped opening his eyes again.  
  
Draco leaned down to give Harry's full lips a quick kiss before slowly starting to thrust in and out. Harry tilted his head back and moaned, his hands above him bracing against the headboard. Draco clenched his hands in the sheets as he quickened the pace.  
  
"Harder..." Harry moaned.  
  
Draco complied with a deep groan, thrusting deeper and pushing Harry over and over again into the mattress. Draco could feel himself coming to the edge and moaned again in ecstasy.   
  
"Draco..." Harry moaned over and over with each frantic thrust.  
  
Draco called out Harry's name as the final sensations overtook his body, sending jolts of pleasure throughout him. Harry soon followed after hearing Draco call out his name so passionately. Draco collapsed onto Harry's chest closing his eyes and breathing rapidly. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's slightly damp back and held him close. He sighed contentedly, turning his head to look out the window at the full moon as his breathing slowly returned to normal.  
  
Finally, Draco lifted his head and looked up at Harry's face; green eyes still gazing peacefully at the moon. "Do you know the reason why I first started coming to see you in the dungeon at Malfoy Manor, Harry?"  
  
Harry shifted his eyes to Draco's face and shook his head.  
  
"It was your eyes, they're so...mesmerizing. Especially in moonlight, and beautiful and...perfect," Draco murmured.  
  
He laid his head back down and closed his eyes tiredly, snuggling into Harry's warm body.  
  
Harry smiled, closing his eyes in exhaustion. "I love you," he whispered.  
  
Draco snapped his eyes open with a start. That was the first time one of them had ever said those words. Instead of feeling elated, he suddenly felt trapped. It scared him that Harry had come to care for him so much, and it scared him even more that he had come to care for Harry just as much in return. 

      "What if something happened to him?" he suddenly thought. "What if Voldemort does finally catch him? I don't think I could go through that." Draco's heart constricted painfully at the thought.  
  
"Don't be stupid," he scolded himself. "There's too much protection around him, too many people looking out for him. Plus, I'll never let him out of my sight. Voldemort will have to kill me first."  
  
Draco, noticing that Harry had fallen asleep, closed his eyes and decided that there would be plenty of opportunities in the future to tell Harry that he loved him, too...


	2. Harry's Mistake

  
  


                                                                                                            _~ There's only us, there's only this  
                                                                                                    Forget regret or life is yours to miss ~  
  
_

            Harry slowly opened his eyes the next morning just as the sun was warming the sky. He turned his face towards the window and watched the rain splatter against the glass and run down in little rivers. He was feeling extremely cozy; lying in a warm bed with his head tucked under Draco's chin and their arms holding each other loosely.  
  
Harry tilted his head up to look at Draco's face. His usually carefully styled hair was softly framing his pale cheeks with silvery, blond wisps and his pink lips were slightly parted as he breathed softly onto Harry's hair. Harry smiled and lightly kissed Draco's collarbone.  
  
Draco shifted beneath him, raising his arms above his head as he stretched luxuriously. He opened his eyes and squinted down at Harry.  
  
"What are you doing awake this early?" he yawned.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well, why don't you go make me breakfast?" Draco said sleepily, closing his eyes again.  
  
"Alright, I will," Harry answered cheerfully. "And I'll bring it to you in bed."  
  
"Whatever makes you happy," Draco mumbled. "I'll have an omelette."  
  
Harry gave him a quick peck on the cheek, grabbed his glasses, and bounced off the bed and out of the room. Draco smiled to himself and drifted off back to sleep.  
  
Harry entered the kitchen, oiled a frying pan and placed it on the burner. He collected plates and utensils, setting them up on a tray with a single red rose that he took from a vase on the kitchen table. He smiled at the flower and hummed to himself as he went to the fridge to get out the ingredients for the omelette. He grabbed cheese, mushrooms, onions, and red peppers before noticing that the egg carton was completely empty.  
  
"Shit!" Harry cursed under his breath, straightening up and slamming the fridge door. He looked over at the tray with the flower on it and frowned in disappointment.  
  
"I'll just have to go buy some," he thought to himself. He started down the hall to the bedroom to get his wand so that he could summon the Ministry guards to accompany him outside.  
  
"This is stupid!" he thought, stopping mid-stride. "I think I can manage to walk to the market and back on my own."  
  
Harry stood in the doorway of his bedroom, watching Draco's sleeping form while chewing worriedly on his bottom lip.  
  
"If I go and come back really quick he won't even know I was gone," he decided.  
  
He quietly entered the room, slipped on his jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed his wand, and returned to the kitchen.  
  
"Maybe I should leave a note..." he thought guiltily, while tying up his shoes and wrapping his cloak around him.  
  
In the end he decided to just leave out the empty egg carton for Draco to see in case he woke up. Harry slipped his wand under his shirt and quickly left. The front door closed behind him with a click as he went out alone for the first time in over a year.  
  


                       *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *                                  

            Draco suddenly woke to the smell of burning oil and groaned as he draped an arm over his eyes.  
  
"You'd better not be burning my breakfast, Harry!" he shouted.  
  
When there was no answer, he lifted his arm and looked out the open doorway.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Draco sat up, a sudden feeling of foreboding coming over him.  
  
"Harry, answer me!" he tried again.  
  
Silence.  
  
Draco leapt out of bed, threw on his black trousers from the floor and ran to the kitchen. There was a frying pan smoking on the stove with a layer of blackened oil burning on the bottom. Draco quickly turned off the heat and removed it to the sink.  
  
"Harry?" he called, looking into the living room and finding it empty. Panic building, he ran around the entire apartment, looking everywhere, including the deck and the outside hallway.  
  
Draco closed the door and leaned against it, running his hands through his hair in helplessness.  
  
"Harry...where are you?" he asked aloud, feeling lost.  
  
He walked back to the kitchen and suddenly spied the telephone on the wall. He quickly strode over and pushed 'the Weasleys' on speed-dial.  
  
"Hello?" a groggy male voice answered on the other end.  
  
"Have you seen, Harry?" Draco asked, pacing back and forth.  
  
"Draco?" Ron asked, still half-asleep.  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"Harry? No..." Ron suddenly sat up in bed. "Why? Is he missing?"  
  
"He said he was going to make me breakfast and when I got up he was gone...and there was a pan burning on the stove..." he trailed off.  
  
"Oh, God..." Ron paled.  
  
Hermione stirred in the bed beside him and blinked her eyes open.  
  
"I don't know what to do," Draco said desperately.  
  
"Um...have you called the Ministry guards yet?"  
  
"No...I'll do that now."  
  
"Good...alright, you call them and we'll be right over," Ron said, getting out of bed and searching for some clothes.  
  
"Thanks, Ron." Draco hung up the phone.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          

            Ron barely registered the fact that that was the first time Draco had ever called him by his first name.  
  
"What is it Ron?" Hermione asked, fully awake and watching him frantically throw on yesterdays clothes from the floor.  
  
"That was Draco on the phone," he paused and looked over at her. "Harry is missing."  
  
Hermione gasped and put her hands over her mouth.  
  
"What...how..." Hermione spluttered.  
  
"I told him we'd be right over. He sounded really shook up on the phone."  
  
Hermione sprang into action and soon the two of them were on their way.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *                        


            Draco threw the pillows on the bed aside as he searched for his wand, he saw it tucked in the corner and quickly grabbed it before turning towards the door. Stopping suddenly he looked back towards the bed with a puzzled expression.  
  
"Harry's wand is gone," he frowned.  
  
Just then the doorbell rang and Draco, half-hoping it was Harry, sprinted down the hall with his wand in hand. He threw open the door to see Ron and Hermione standing there in rain soaked cloaks.  
  
"Have you heard anything yet?" Ron asked hopefully.  
  
"No." Draco led the way into the kitchen.  
  
Hermione patted his shoulder before the three of them settled down around the table.  
  
"Have you called the Ministry?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Not yet, but I noticed something strange - Harry's wand is missing, too."  
  
"Where does he usually keep it?"  
  
"Under his pillow, with mine."  
  
"Maybe he took it with him this morning," Ron put in.  
  
"I don't think he would've taken it to make me breakfast," Draco answered, rubbing his eyes. "Besides, I know he didn't because I saw him leave the bedroom without it."  
  
"So...you were in there when someone took it?" Hermione pondered aloud.  
  
"I must have been..."  
  
"So, whoever took Harry came and got his wand quietly enough so as not to wake you?" Ron asked in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like a Death Eater."  
  
"Death Eaters can't get in here," Draco interjected. "Dumbledore has this place magically secured."  
  
"Why would they take his wand?" Ron puzzled.  
  
"How would they know where he kept it?" Hermione frowned.  
  
The three sat in silence for a few minutes before Hermione suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked over at Draco.  
  
"What if _Harry took his wand?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Draco asked, glancing up.  
  
"Did you check to see if his shoes or cloak were gone too?" she asked.  
  
Realization suddenly dawned on the other two men.  
  
"You think Harry went out on his own?" Ron asked slowly.  
  
"Exactly," Hermione answered, standing up.  
  
"But that would be against Dumbledore's orders," Ron said incredulously.  
  
"Oh, and Harry's never broken the rules before," Hermione quipped sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.  
  
Draco stood up and walked to the front door, followed closely by Ron and Hermione.  
  
"I can't believe it..." Draco said hollowly. "His stuff is gone."  
  
"I knew it!" she crowed.  
  
"I can't believe that stupid git!" Ron said. "Where would he go? Especially without telling you?"  
  
"I don't know, he said he was going to make me breakf-" Draco stopped and clapped a hand to his forehead.  
  
"What is it?" Hermione asked in alarm.  
  
Draco didn't answer. He turned and walked back to the kitchen, looking around the cluttered counters, before his eyes suddenly fell on the empty egg carton. He  quickly walked over and picked it up.  
  
"He went out for eggs?" Ron noted in amusement. "I can't believe that idiot risked his life to make you breakfast."  
  
Draco stared at the carton quietly.  
  
"It's not your fault, Draco." Hermione watched him carefully. "You know Harry was just itching to go out anyway, it was just a matter of time before he did."  
  
Draco stayed silent.  
  
Hermione and Ron glanced at each other.  
  
"Do you want us to stay with you while you wait for, Harry?" Ron asked tentatively.  
  
"No, that's okay." Draco looked up and smiled tiredly. "Thanks for coming over, and I'm sorry I made you worry over nothing."  
  
"Well, you didn't know that Harry was just being thick," Ron smiled.  
  
"We still don't know that he's safe, I mean, he is still out alone," Hermione stated.  
  
"If he's not back within the hour I'll call you," Draco said, leading the way to the front door.  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at each other uncertainly before following. They didn't want to go before Harry got back, nor did they want to leave Draco alone.  
  
"Please call us as soon as Harry gets back or...or for any reason," Hermione rushed.  
  
"Don't be too hard on him," Ron added. "You know how he gets when he wants to do something, nothing can get in his way."  
  
Draco pretended to smile as he said goodbye and shut the door. Then he walked to the kitchen, sat in a chair and rested his head in his hands, his blond hair falling around his face.  
  
"I can't protect him all the time..." he thought miserably. "One day I'll wake up to find him gone and he won't ever be coming back."  
  
Draco sat there for awhile until he had come to a decision. "If I have to live without him eventually, then I might as well start now."   
_

         Just then the sound of the front door opening made Draco jump and look up.  
  
"Draco?" Harry's voice echoed down the hallway.  
  
Draco closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Harry," he said under his breath.  
  
He rose out of the chair and took a deep, steadying breath. A flash of pain flickered across his handsome face before he replaced it with a mask of coldness and waited for Harry to come in.


	3. Goodbye Love

_                                                                                                                        ~ There's only us, only tonight  
                                                                                                                  We must let go to know what's right ~  
_  
  
  
  
  
                  Harry cautiously opened the front door and snuck inside, the smell of burning food still lingering in the air. He quickly removed his wet shoes and cloak, feeling slightly hurt that Draco was cooking for himself instead of waiting.  
  
"Draco?" he called, walking down the hallway towards the kitchen with his shopping bag. He entered the cream coloured room and saw Draco standing by the table.  
  
"There you are," he smiled, placing the eggs on the counter. "What's burning?"  
  
"The pan that _you left on the stove," Draco answered stiffly.  
  
"Oh no, I totally forgot!" Harry exclaimed, looking towards the stove. "I got distracted when I saw that we were out of eggs."  
  
"So then you just decided to go for a little stroll, did you?" Draco asked coldly.  
  
Harry turned and frowned at Draco's tone. "What's wrong?"  
  
"You're not supposed to leave this apartment by yourself, you know that, Harry!"   
  
"I just went to get some eggs," Harry mumbled, looking distinctly uncomfortable.  
  
"Why didn't you at least leave a note? Do you know how worried I was?" Draco stepped closer, wanting to take Harry by the shoulders and shake him. "I even called Ron and Hermione, and made them worry too!"  
  
"You did?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, and I would've called the Ministry as well if Hermione hadn't figured out that you had decided to go out on your own."  
  
"I'm sorry..."   
  
"You're sorry?" Draco exploded. "You could have been killed! I wake up to find you missing, no note, and a pan smoking on the stove...I thought you had been kidnapped!"  
  
"But nothing happened and I'm fine," Harry said soothingly.  
  
"That's not the point! What about next time?"  
  
"I promise I won't do it again."  
  
"I'm not trying to keep you in a cage, Harry," he cried in exasperation. "It's for your own safety."  
  
"I know, and I swear it won't happen again."   
  
Draco sighed and ran a hand through his ruffled hair. "I've come to realize that no matter what other people do to try and protect you, you still manage to find ways of putting yourself in danger."  
  
"I don't do it on purpose!" Harry retorted indignantly.  
  
"Yes you do, you just don't realize it."  
  
"Look, I said I was sorry...what else do you want me to say?"  
  
Harry moved towards Draco, but the blond quickly stepped away.  
  
"I can't do this anymore, Harry"   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"I mean living each day in fear of losing you. I do care about you, but you have a lot of emotional baggage."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It means I think I should go"  
  
"No!" Harry shouted, face paling. "Please don't leave. I said I was sorry, Draco."  
  
Harry rushed forward and grabbed Draco's wrist, pressing his hand between his palms.  
  
"If you care for me, then you won't leave," he pleaded.  
  
"I do care for you, Harry, but I just can't sit around waiting for you to kill yourself."  
  
Harry dropped his hand and stepped back, a look of understanding suddenly flashing across his young face.  
  
"Oh, I see," he said coldly. "You don't want baggage without life-time guarantees."  
  
"No, that's not it..." Draco couldn't look into the beautiful eyes that he loved so much, now so full of pain and betrayal.  
  
"Then tell me you love me!" Harry shouted, tears forming in his green eyes.  
  
"I...can't," he said, defeated. "I have to go."  
  
Draco suddenly rushed down the hall to the bedroom, trying to keep his emotions in check, with Harry following right behind.  
  
"Draco..." Harry pleaded, not sure what he could say to make Draco change his mind.  
  
Draco started throwing his clothes haphazardly into a bag.   
  
Harry put his head in his hands and tried to keep himself from sobbing hysterically.   
  
"It'll feel much worse if I don't leave now," Draco thought to himself as he caught sight of a distraught Harry out of the corner of his eye. He finished tossing in all of his belongings and practically ran out of the bedroom and towards the front door.  
_

        Harry reached it first and barred the way. "I'm not going to let you leave like this," he said weakly, eyes red.  
  
"Get out of the way, Harry."  
  
"Draco, please don't go...I love you," he cried desperately, hating how pathetic he sounded.  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes in determination and grabbed a hold of the door knob. He wrenched it open in one pull, effectively pushing Harry aside, walked outside and shut the door behind him with a resounding click. He stood in the hallway briefly, listening to Harry's sobs echoing from inside, before tearing himself away.   
  
He hailed a cab, stowed his bag in the boot, and slowly pulled away. He kept himself from looking back at the building that held all of his warmest memories. He suddenly felt barren and very alone, he had left all the colour in his life back in that flat. Now he was on his own with no idea about where he was headed, only knowing that once he got there he would break down completely for the first time in his life; cry for the one person he loved but couldn't say it to and knowing that he had hurt him more than anyone else ever had. 


	4. Without You

                                                _Without you –_

_                                                the mind churns, the heart yearns,_

_                                                the tears dry_

_                                                Without you – _

_                                                life goes on, but I'm gone_

_                                                'cause I die without you_   
  


            Harry sat crumpled on the hallway floor for over an hour, deep down he knew that Draco wasn't coming back, just like he had known that Cedric was never coming back or his parents. It seemed as if the Gods just didn't want him to be happy. He lay there wallowing in self-pity, loathing himself and the life he was cursed with.   
  
Finally, emotions rising, he got to his feet and went into the kitchen. Looking around him, he suddenly felt extremely angry at everything in general. In a fit of rage he grabbed the egg carton off the counter and threw it against the wall, it fell to the floor and broken eggs oozed down the wall and pooled on the tiles. Harry then seized the breakfast tray with the red rose on it and carelessly threw it across the room. It hit the window and broken glass flew everywhere. He let out an anguished sob and watched the glass rain down on the floor before blacking out.  
  
He woke up in confusion some time later on the kitchen floor. The phone was ringing shrilly on the wall near his head and he quickly got to his knees and snatched it up.  
  
"Hello?" he asked, desperately hoping that it was Draco.  
  
"Harry?"   
  
Hermione.  
  
"Oh, hi Hermione."  
  
"You're back...what's wrong?" she asked, immediately sensing something.  
  
Harry sighed, he didn't feel like explaining yet. He didn't want to talk about it when the pain was still so fresh, he was afraid he would break down again.  
  
"Nothing," he replied, voice wobbling out of his control.  
  
"Harry, don't lie to me. Do you want me to come over?"  
  
"Fine," he relented tiredly.  
  
"Okay, we'll be right over," Hermione said before the line went dead.  
  
Harry stared at the receiver irritably before hanging it up. Now he would have to face his best friends and tell them that Draco had abandoned him. He would again be the poor, famous Harry Potter who everyone pitied and felt sorry for. He slid down the wall for the second time that day and sat exhaustedly on the floor.  
  
Harry lifted his head minutes later when the doorbell rang. Before he had even gotten to his feet, Hermione and Ron came walking into the kitchen.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione gasped, looking around. The wind was blowing through the broken window causing the curtains to lift and sway. The surrounding floor was covered with broken glass and puddled rain, the red rose lay in the middle of the water, its petals now wilted and damp.  
  
"What the hell happened?" Ron asked, rushing over to kneel beside him "Are you okay?"  
  
Harry looked into his best friend's face miserably.  
  
"Draco's gone."  
  
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked softly, crouching down.  
  
"He..." Harry choked, tears already pooling in his eyes.  
  
"Come on, let's go sit on the couch." Ron lifted him by the arm and led him over to the living room. They settled themselves on either side of Harry protectively.  
  
"Is Draco hurt?" Ron asked, looking around.  
  
"I hope so," Harry said darkly.  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at each other in surprise.  
  
"He left me," Harry stated hollowly, suddenly feeling drained of emotion.  
  
"What!?" Ron shouted. "Why?"  
  
"Is this because of what you did this morning?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Are you saying it's my fault?" Harry snapped, even though he knew it was true.  
  
"No, I just wondered if it had something to do with it," she said hastily. "I just don't understand, he was so worried about you this morning and then he suddenly leaves..."  
  
"He said that he couldn't wait around for me to kill myself. That I always put myself in danger and that I don't care about what other people are doing for me," Harry replied stonily.  
  
"That bastard!"   
  
"Ron!" Hermione admonished harshly.  
  
"Hermione, after everything Harry has done for him he just decides to abandon him? He didn't even give a good reason, he's probably just been waiting all along for an excuse to leave."  
  
"Ron, you know that's not true!" Hermione said sharply. "I know Draco loves him, he's probably just scared."  
  
Harry stared unfocused at the carpet.  
  
"He couldn't say that he loved me...he never could." Harry paused. "He doesn't love me, Hermione."  
  
"No, that's not true, Harry," Hermione implored. "I've watched him, I saw it in his eyes even if he never said it."  
  
"He's a coward and an ass-hole," Ron said angrily. "He's treated you like shit, Harry, but now you can forget about him and start over."  
  
Hermione glared in exasperation at her hot tempered husband.  
  
"He may not love me, but I still love him," Harry said, looking at Ron sadly.  
  
"Harry listen, why don't you come stay with us for awhile?" Hermione spoke gently. "Draco will come back when he realizes the mistake he's made, I'm sure of it."  
  
"I don't think so, Hermione," Harry said shaking his head. "He's not coming back...please don't say that again."  
  
"Harry's right, he doesn't need to sit around foolishly hoping that that bastard will come back someday," Ron interjected, standing up and tugging Harry to his feet. "Come on Harry, you can stay with us until you feel up to coming back here. Maybe Dumbledore can even get you a new place."   
  
"Yeah...thanks, I don't ever want to come back here." Harry followed Ron, who still held fast to his arm.  
  
Hermione shook her head and stood up.   
  
"This doesn't make any sense, I know he loves him," she thought to herself. She watched Harry walk away, his shoulders hunched and his eyes bereft of their usual spark.  
  
"What have you done, Draco?" she thought sadly, before following the other two.


	5. Something Is Missing

            Draco was walking through the woods half a mile from the village where he was staying, breathing in the fresh air, hands clasped behind his back and his eyes closed. This was the only place he felt at peace. He could think freely about Harry, cry if he needed, or scream if he felt like it. He was alone here with no one around for miles. He was also very far away from London, far enough away that no one would recognize him or find him.  
  
He continued slowly up the path, tilting his head back to admire the branches curving up over his head; the green leaves almost connecting over top, leaving just enough room for a glimpse of the blue sky above. It looked like one of those beautiful murals on the ceilings of great cathedrals or the magnificent halls in France or Italy.   
  
Not for the first time, did he wish that Harry was here with him. They could walk hand in hand, experiencing this secluded paradise together. Draco stumbled and sighed in frustration, he couldn't go through one day without thinking of Harry it seemed.  
  
He sat heavily on a nearby log. His heart ached painfully when he thought of Harry. Thoughts of the last time he had seen him made him wince; Harry crumpled on the floor, crying, telling him that he loved him...begging him not to leave. But what hurt most of all was the memory of Harry accusing him of not loving him.  
  
The truth was, Draco loved Harry more than anything else in the world, more than life itself. It had been almost a year since he had last seen Harry on that horrible day. It felt as if it had been an eternity since he last touched Harry, he desperately wanted to hold him and kiss him, and tell him over and over that he loved him.   
  
            These past few months had felt as if a part of him was missing. He realized that life without Harry was meaningless. He used to spend his days thinking up ways of making Harry happy or causing him to smile that smile that melted his heart and lit   
up those emerald eyes, to hear that infectious laugh that would make his stomach flip every time, no matter how often he heard it.  
  
    He wondered every day how Harry was doing. So many times he had almost gone back just to catch a glimpse of him, to see if he was alright. The newspapers were forbidden to do any articles on Harry because it might compromise his safety, so he had no way of knowing what was going on. He toyed with the idea of writing to Hermione to ask about him, but never got up the nerve. She would most likely be very angry with him, and for good reason.  
  
  
  
He wondered if Harry had moved on. It affected him deeply to think of Harry with someone else, but he also hoped that it was some one who wouldn't rip his heart out and walk away like he had. Harry deserved some one who had the courage to stay and not take the coward's way out.   
  
He winced inwardly at the bluntness of his thoughts. For the first time in his life he had backed down from something he was terrified of. He had left the name 'Malfoy' a long time ago, but he still felt disappointed at his lack of the famous Malfoy courage and pride. If his father could see him now he would be very ashamed...not that he cared what   
his father thought anymore, since he had ruthlessly killed his mother and had tried to kill Harry before Draco stepped in.   
  
That had been the beginning of their relationship - Draco the hero. Now he was just a miserable wretch, wallowing in regret.  
  
He often wondered what Harry's new boyfriend looked like and tried to picture him in his mind. He saw a man very similar to Harry himself; sweet, gentle, loving, gorgeous, and a great sense of humour. Maybe the same tussled, black hair, creamy skin and soft lips. A lean, muscular body...  
  
He quickly shook his head, trying to shake the image of Harry from his brain.  
  
Still, the thought of Harry, _his Harry, with some one else angered him. He hated that imaginary man that was now sharing Harry's life. He felt enraged at the thought of some one else touching his Harry...  
  
But he wasn't his Harry anymore.  
  
Draco got off the log and started heading back to his hotel in the village.   
  
He had come to the conclusion that life without Harry wasn't worth living, and as he wasn't about to commit suicide then he would just have to go back. Hopefully, Harry still loved him, even if it took a lot of begging and pleading to get him to take him back. _

            If Harry was going to die then he would spend every waking moment with him until that time came. He couldn't live without Harry anymore. He was going to go back and tell Harry what he deserved to hear - that he loved him once and for all.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *                      

            Harry sat in his new flat staring blankly at the television screen. He watched the same show every day because the actor in it reminded him of Draco, he had the same aristocratic bone structure and gleaming blond hair. He had no idea what the story was about, he just liked to watch Draco's twin and think about other things. He never told Hermione or Ron about the habit though, because they would just give him that look that said 'when are you going to move on with your life?'  
  
He knew they were worried about him. He hadn't eaten or slept properly for almost a year now and it was beginning to show. He had lost a lot of weight, sported permanent dark circles under his eyes, and hadn't gone outside once.   
  
Every day Hermione would beg him to take a walk with her outside and get some fresh air and sun on his pale skin, but he always refused. Going outside reminded him too much of the day Draco left...  
  
No, he wouldn't go out again.  
  
He didn't even want Ron and Hermione to see him anymore. Their obvious concern at his appearance written plainly on their faces was just too much to take. He felt better when no one questioned or bothered him. Pretty soon people started leaving him alone, even Dumbledore had stopped coming when it was obvious Harry didn't enjoy the company.  
  
Harry realized that the show was over and turned the television off, the sudden silence enveloping him.   
  
He stood up and walked to the window, leaned his forehead against the sun warmed glass and sighed. He knew how pathetic he was acting, knew that Ron was right, that he had to move on and forget Draco. It was just so hard, he missed him so much...  
  
"Draco probably has some one new by now," he thought bitterly. "They're probably lying in bed right now, laughing and talking about how stupid I am and what a fool I was. His new lover's probably wondering how I could have thrown away such a perfect man. So what if he didn't love me? I felt loved, and I loved him enough for the both of us."  
  
Harry groaned inwardly. "I am pathetic."  
  
The phone suddenly rang, causing Harry to jump and smack his head against the glass.   
  
"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing his head and reaching for the receiver.  "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Harry!"   
  
It was Hermione, talking with the false cheerfulness that he was now used to.  
  
"Hi, Hermione. What's up?" he asked, cautiously touching his forehead to check for damage.  
  
"Ron and I thought we'd come over and make you dinner."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Really?" Hermione sounded a bit shocked, usually it was harder to convince him to have company.  
  
"Yeah, I'm starving and there's nothing here to eat," Harry complained.  
  
"Er, are you okay Harry?"  
  
"I'm fine, why?"  
  
"Well, you haven't gotten enthusiastic about eating for...well, for a long time."  
  
"I know," Harry chuckled. "But now I am, and I'm starving."  
  
"Great," Hermione sounded truly happy. "We'll just go get the ingredients and come over around six."  
  
"Okay, see you then." Harry hung up the phone with a smile. "That's it," he decided. "I'm no longer going to wallow in misery. I'm going to be happy and forget about Draco, I refuse to waste anymore energy on him and I'm going to start living again."  
  
Feeling elated, Harry walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge door. His lack of appetite was very apparent in the contents of his fridge, it was almost empty except for some milk, cheese, and celery. He smiled and decided that he would make Hermione happy by walking with her to the market tonight to buy some groceries.  
  
Just then a loud knock echoed from the front door. Harry shut the fridge and strode over to look through the peep hole. There was a strange man standing there, wearing a uniform of some sort and holding a box and a clipboard.  
  
Harry glanced at the Dark Detector on the wall. It remained quiet, so he unlocked the door and opened it.  
  
"Are you Harry Potter?" the man asked.  
  
Harry's eyes widened. He had taken the name 'Roger Davis' while living here and only his close friends and some of the professors knew where he really was. Something felt wrong...  
  
"No, I'm sorry. My name is Roger Davis," he lied smoothly. "Maybe this Harry lives in the apartment next door."  
  
The man sneered slightly as his eyes lifted to the scar on Harry's forehead.  
  
Something was definitely wrong.  
  
"Well, goodbye." Harry started to shut the door, but the man quickly stuck his foot in the jamb.  
  
Harry struggled vainly against him, but in his weakened state he was no match. The man shoved the door open, sending Harry flying backwards. Harry turned and ran towards the living room, but the man caught up and grabbed him from behind, roughly pushing him to the floor. Harry flipped himself over to stare at the man's face as he kneeled painfully on his chest.  
  
"You can't fool me, Potter," he growled.  
  
That voice was so familiar...  
  
"Who are you?" Harry demanded.  
  
"Don't you recognize my voice?" he sneered, placing a hand tightly around Harry's throat.  
  
"Oh, my God," Harry gasped. "Mr Malfoy."  
  
The man slapped him hard across the cheek and stars swam before his eyes.  
  
"Very good, Potter," Lucius growled. "Now if you would be so kind as to touch this for me."  
  
Mr Malfoy opened the package that he had been carrying earlier and carefully removed a large, red ruby. Harry instantly knew it was a portkey, Lucius was holding it by a handkerchief as he held it in front of Harry's face.  
  
"No!" he shouted, turning his head to the side and looking at the clock on the wall. It was almost six, if he could just hold him off a little longer then Ron and Hermione would arrive.  
  
He was rewarded for his refusal with another slap across the face.  
  
"Let's try that again, shall we?" Lucius drawled patiently, enjoying himself.  
  
"I'm not going to willingly go anywhere with you!" Harry spat. 

        "I think you'll change your mind." Lucius suddenly unsheathed a sharp dagger from his belt and held it against Harry's throat. Pressing the blade painfully into his skin, but not hard enough to draw blood. "How about now?" he smirked.

         Harry's blood boiled as he tried to stay strong, just a few more minutes...  
  
"Never," he whispered with venom.  
  
The knife was lifted as Mr Malfoy raised a brow questioningly at him. "Just like your father, Harry," he spoke, stroking a finger down his cheek. "Which is a pity, he was a real fool too."  
  
"Well, I'm happy to say your son's not anything like you."  
  
The knife flashed so fast that he almost didn't see it, then a searing pain blinded him as blood seeped from a deep gash in his cheek and ran down into his hair and onto the carpet.  
  
"Never mention my son again," Mr Malfoy snarled.  
  
Before Harry could reply, Mr Malfoy had shoved the ruby into his palm. He felt the pull of the portkey as he disappeared before Lucius' eyes.   
  
Lucius smiled grimly and stood up. He threw the blood stained dagger on the floor and removed his wand from his pocket. The effects of the polyjuice potion were beginning to wear off as his long blond hair slowly appeared and his face thinned out from the shape of the muggle delivery man he had killed earlier. He raised his wand and muttered something under his breath, then smiled in satisfaction as he heard screams from outside. He took another ruby from the same package and vanished instantly from the room.  
  
Ron and Hermione arrived fifteen minutes later to see the Dark Mark floating above Harry's building.


	6. Regret

                                                                                    _~ There's only now, there's only here  
                                                                                   Give in to love or live in fear ~  
_  


            Ron and Hermione stared in horror at the glowing apparition floating above their heads. There was absolute pandemonium on the street around them, this was the first time the Dark Mark had been seen in the tiny wizarding village of Desiderium and the people were becoming hysterical.  
  
Ron dropped the bag of groceries he was holding and dashed up the steps to Harry's building.  
  
"Ron, wait!" Hermione yelled.  
  
He ignored her and bolted though the door, withdrawing his wand as he ran.  
  
Hermione was about to chase after him when there was a flurry of movement beside her. Lupin, McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore apparated in the street, wands at the ready, and stared up at the Mark apprehensively. Lupin, looking more serious then she'd ever seen, turned and immediately rushed up to her.  
  
"Where's, Ron?" he asked, looking as if he knew the answer as he glanced up at Harry's window on the second floor.  
  
"He just went inside..."  
  
"Come on." Lupin motioned for her to follow the other Professors into the building.  
  
Hermione took the lead and leapt up the stairs two at a time, rushing into Harry's flat with her heart in her throat. She found Ron on his knees in the living room with his head bowed. She approached cautiously from behind until she was looking over his shoulder.  
  
"Oh no..." she gasped, hands covering her mouth.  
  
In front of Ron lay a stained dagger and a small pool of fresh blood. Hermione dropped to her knees beside her husband and buried her face in his shoulder. Ron dazedly put his arms around her and held her close.  
  
Dumbledore quietly crept up beside them and crouched before the dagger. He picked it up and turned it over in his palm thoughtfully.  
  
"Where is Draco Malfoy?" he asked after a minute.  
  
"Malfoy?" Ron's head shot up. "What does he have to do with this?"  
  
"This dagger belongs to his father."  
  
Their eyes widened as they leaned forward to examine the hilt - 'L. Malfoy' was inscribed in silver with a green serpent coiled around the shaft and partway up the steel blade. Hermione lifted her eyes to Dumbledore's concerned face.  
  
"I don't know where he is," she said sadly. "I've looked everywhere."  
  
"Do you think Harry is still alive Professor?" Ron asked.  
  
"I'm sure of it," Dumbledore answered, straightening up and heading to the couch to sit down. "Or else they would have killed him here and left the body for us to find. They would've wanted us to know that they had finally succeeded in ending his life, just like Lucius Malfoy wanted us to know that he was the one to take Harry by leaving behind his dagger."  
  
"What do they want with him then?" Hermione asked, her voice wavering slightly.  
  
"I'm not sure yet, Miss Granger," he sighed tiredly. "It could have something to do with the connection between Voldemort and Harry. I believe Harry's blood holds a great deal of power for him."  
  
Snape, McGonagall, and Lupin suddenly entered the room.  
  
"I've dealt with the Mark, sir," Snape announced, his eyes flicking to the blood stain and back.  
  
"Thank you. What is being done for the villagers?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"The Ministry saw fit to administer memory charms on them," McGonagall stated. "They didn't want anyone to figure out that Mr Potter had been living here and is now missing."  
  
Dumbledore nodded approvingly.  
  
"What's your plan?" Lupin asked, feeling desperate to find Harry before time ran out.  
  
"We must find Draco Malfoy."  
  
"What?" Lupin asked, taken aback.  
  
Dumbledore passed him the dagger as Snape and McGonagall moved in for a closer look.  
  
"Lucius!" Snape hissed upon seeing the inscription.  
  
"But what can Draco do?" Hermione asked.  
  
"If Lucius Malfoy did take Harry, then Draco will have a better idea than anyone else as to where they might be holding him. Draco was our last informant on the Dark side and he's our best shot."  
  
"How did Mr Malfoy even get in here?" Ron asked. "I thought this place was secure."  
  
"I checked all the Dark detectors and they don't register any activity until right before the Mark was cast," Lupin said.  
  
"If he was already inside when the alarm went off, then Harry must have let him in..." Dumbledore said, staring out the window thoughtfully.  
  
"I don't think Harry would -"  
  
"Look, we need to concentrate on finding him," Lupin interrupted. "We're wasting time."  
  
Dumbledore stood up and regarded Ron carefully.  
  
"Mr Weasley, I need you and Hermione to find Draco for me. I know you and he have had your differences, but he could be our only chance."  
  
"We'll find him." Ron nodded determinedly. "Do you think he'll want to help though? I mean, he was pretty angry when he left Harry a year ago."  
  
"I think you underestimate the depth of feeling he has for Harry's wellbeing," Dumbledore said carefully. "I know you think he was being callous, but surely you can see that he has true feelings for him?"  
  
"If he did, then he wouldn't have left him like that," Ron said with a frown. "He would've come back."  
  
Dumbledore looked at him for a moment.  
  
"I suggest you and Hermione accompany me to Hogwarts where we can decide on our exact course of action, it's not safe to linger here too long. I'll also need someone to check on Harry's previous flat in London, it might have been searched or damaged if they went looking for him there first."  
  
"I'll do it," Lupin volunteered as he pocketed the dagger. "Then I'll meet you back at Hogwarts."  
  
"I'll write Sirius as soon as I return and apprise him of the situation," Dumbledore said, patting Lupin on the shoulder.  
  
The sombre group made their way to the street below and saw groups of Ministry guards arriving to go over Harry's flat thoroughly for any security threats.  
  
"Stay strong and have hope," Dumbledore said, looking at the worried faces around him. "We will find him."  
  
They lifted their heads and straightened their shoulders at Dumbledore's words, before disapparating to their various tasks.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *                      

            Draco knocked again on the door to Harry's flat in London, no sound came from within as he placed his ear against it and listened carefully. Sighing in disappointment, he walked back outside. He stood on the sidewalk and squinted up at the window, but the curtains were drawn.  
  
"Hey, Draco!"  
  
Draco turned to see a petite, red-haired woman waving at him from the cafe across the street.  
  
"Hi, Maureen," he smiled, as he jogged over.  
  
"Long time no see, gorgeous," she winked, beckoning him inside.  
  
Draco settled himself at the counter while she poured him a tall glass of iced tea with a slice of lemon in it.  
  
"So, what have you been up to?" she asked, her brown eyes twinkling as she leaned her elbows on the counter top.  
  
"Nothing much..." Draco looked away from her motherly face to glance back at Harry's building.  
  
"Hmmm..." Maureen raised a brow, but was distracted by some customers hovering in the doorway.  
  
"Welcome to the Life Cafe!" she greeted warmly, before leading them to a nearby table. She quickly got them menus and started chatting like they were old friends.  
  
"How have you been Maureen?" Draco asked when she finally came back to the counter, "How's Jo-anne?"  
  
"Don't change the subject," she quipped. "What's wrong? Did you and Harry have a lover's spat?"  
  
Draco sighed and took a long sip of his drink.  
  
"Let's just say that I did something really stupid that I now regret and I've come back to apologize."  
  
"You mean you left him?" she asked, shock replacing her teasing smile. She'd served them many times in her cafe and had thought that they were inseparable.  
  
"Don't look at me like that," Draco moaned, hanging his head.  
  
"I'm sorry," she apologized, giving his shoulder a squeeze.  
  
"Have you seen Harry lately?" Draco asked hopefully. "How does he look?"  
  
"I haven't seen him since....since the night the two of you were in here having hot chocolate and cake."  
  
Draco smiled sadly at the memory.  
  
~ It had been Draco's birthday and Harry had worn this stunning black tux and cooked him dinner. Harry had looked so irresistible, that as soon as they had finished the main course Draco hadn't been able keep his hands off of him. Clothes were thrown all over as they made love on the carpet. Some time later, while holding each other, Harry had suddenly jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Draco had fallen down laughing when he saw Harry holding the forgotten birthday cake that had been cooking all the while in the oven - burnt to a crisp. They then decided to go to Maureen's for dessert and it ended up being the most memorable birthday of Draco's life. ~  
  
Draco shook his head, coming back to the present.  
  
"But that was over a year ago. You must have seen him at least once since then?"  
  
"Sorry, hon," Maureen replied sympathetically. "Excuse me."  
  
She bustled off to tend to her other customers.  
  
Draco frowned and looked out the window again - going up the steps of Harry's building was Professor Lupin.  
  
Draco jumped up, put some money on the counter, and dashed outside.  
  
"Professor Lupin!" he called out.  
  
Lupin turned and stared in disbelief as Draco came to a stop in front of him, breathing heavily.  
  
"Professor..." he gasped. "Is Harry inside?"  
  
"Harry doesn't live here anymore," Lupin said automatically, trying to gather his wits about him.  
  
"What? Where did he move to?"  
  
"Desiderium, but -"  
  
"Thanks." Draco disapparatd instantly from the sidewalk.  
  
Lupin sighed and decided to check the flat before going after Draco.  
  
Draco appeared in the middle of the wizarding village and started walking the streets, looking carefully through the crowd for Harry. Suddenly, he spotted a group of Ministry Guards leaving a brick building farther up the street.  
  
"Harry..." Draco breathed before jogging over. He waited behind a tree for the Guards to leave before going in. He slowly mounted the stairs, wondering which one was Harry's place. When he got to the hallway he noticed that one of the doors was slightly ajar, he walked towards it and cautiously pushed it open.  
  
"Hello?" he called.  
  
When there was no answer he decided to just take a quick peek inside. The flat was very empty, only containing the bare necessities. He walked down the little hall to the one bedroom and immediately spotted the Gryffindor flag on the wall.  
  
He smiled in relief - this is it.  
  
His heart broke as he turned to see the framed picture of himself on Harry's bedside table.  
  
"I abandoned him and he still doesn't hate me," he thought, torn between sorrow and hope that Harry hadn't met someone new.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
Draco turned to see Lupin standing in the hallway.  
  
"Where's Harry? I have to speak to him...tell him I'm sorry," Draco pleaded, worried that Lupin would turn him away.  
  
"Why don't we go sit down in the living room?" Lupin suggested quietly, his mind working furiously as to how to break the news to him.  
  
Draco followed him down the hall and watched as he sat down on the small, beige couch.  
  
"Please sit down, Draco," he said calmly, patting the cushion beside him.  
  
Draco stopped mid-stride, feeling as though the breath had been knocked out of him. His eyes were trained on the red mark that was standing out vividly from the cream coloured carpet.  
  
"What is that?" he whispered faintly.  
  
"I think you should sit down." Lupin stood up worriedly.  
  
"Where's Harry?" he asked, eyes still on the floor.  
  
"Draco please-"  
  
"Where's Harry?" Draco demanded loudly, finally tearing his eyes away to look into Lupin's face.  
  
"He's been...taken."  
  
Draco felt the blood rush from his face and his knees weaken.  
  
"When?" he asked faintly.  
  
"This evening, around five-thirty."  
  
Draco looked back to the blood stain.  
  
"How did they get inside?"  
  
"We're not sure yet, but you should know that..." Lupin trailed off uncertainly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We found this on the floor."  
  
Draco watched fearfully as Lupin withdrew the dagger and held it out in the palm of his hand, the silver inscription shining mockingly up at him. Draco fell to his knees with a cry and placed his head in his hands. Lupin quickly put the dagger away and crouched down to put his arms around the distraught young man. Draco rocked back and forth as waves of guilt, anger, and fear washed over him. Images of Harry being tortured flashed in front of his eyes, his broken body laying in a dungeon somewhere, his beautiful green eyes wide-open and life-less.  
  
He closed his eyes and let the blessed relief of darkness overtake him as he fell into Lupin's strong arms.


	7. A Deadly Choice

            The first thing Harry felt when he awoke from unconsciousness was the cruel grip of iron on his wrists and ankles, binding him to the stone table under his back. He opened his eyes and winced at the pain radiating from his scar. The last thing he remembered was appearing in a dark field and coming to face to face with Voldemort, then excruciating pain in his scar and darkness.  
  
He blinked in the pitch black and tried to move, but his limbs felt like lead weights. Water was dripping somewhere nearby and the musty smell of damp stone invaded his nostrils as he slowly became aware of his surroundings.  
  
A door suddenly opened with a rusty screech at the far end of his cell and Harry squinted at the dark figure standing in the doorway. The torches lining the cell walls suddenly burst into flame, stinging his sensitive eyes before he snapped them shut. He listened to the figure drawing near him, their cloak rustling along the stone floor quietly. A breath of warm air ghosted across his cheek as the stranger leaned over his face.  
  
Harry fearfully opened his eyes a little...and found himself looking into the face of Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"Ah, you're awake, Mr Potter," he said pleasantly.  
  
Harry tried to speak, but his throat was so dry that he could only manage a raspy croak. 

       Lucius smirked. "Would you like some water?"  
  
Harry pressed his lips into a thin line and refused to answer.  
  
Lucius took out his wand and made a glass of water appear in his hand. "Here you are," he said, holding it to Harry's lips.  
  
Harry looked at him sceptically.  
  
"I assure you it's not poisoned."  
  
Harry tipped his head up and drank the cool liquid gratefully, beyond caring whether Lucius was lying or not.  
  
"Very good, Potter," he smiled approvingly. "We wouldn't want to deny Lord Voldemort the pleasure of hearing you scream because your throat was parched, now would we?"  
  
Harry choked and looked up into the mocking face.  
  
"Finished?" Lucius asked. "Let's hear you speak now, Potter."  
  
Harry glared, refusing to play his sick game.  
  
"Why do you always have to make things so difficult?" Lucius sighed, raising his wand.  
  
Harry's eyes widened.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
A scream painfully ripped itself from his throat as his body twisted spastically, straining against the chains holding him down. After a few seconds, Lucius lowered his wand, ending the spell. Harry fell limp, his eyes watering.  
  
"Maybe that will teach you to obey me the first time," Lucius spat. "I'll be back for you in an hour, Potter. The Dark Lord requests an audience with you and I suggest you try and rest, you'll need your strength."  
  
He turned and swept out of the small cell, his black cloak swirling around him.  
  
Harry closed his eyes and tried not to think about what would happen to him in an hour.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  
  


            Draco snapped his eyes open and immediately recognized the sterile surroundings of the Hogwarts infirmary. He sat up quickly as the day's events came rushing back. Glancing out the window, he could see the moon glowing from behind a few thin wisps of cloud. He threw back the blankets and walked to the door, glancing at the clock as he passed - 11:37pm.  
  
He headed straight for Dumbledore's office as fast as he could and saw Ron standing by the gargoyle entrance.  
  
The tall red-head turned at the sound of Draco's footsteps.  
  
"You!" Ron cried, the blood rushing to his face and hands clenching in anger.  
  
"Out of my way, Weasley," Draco snapped impatiently, trying to brush past.  
  
Ron launched himself at Draco with a growl. Startled Draco stumbled backwards and fell with Ron landing on top of him.  
  
"This is your fault!" Ron cried, pinning Draco's arms down. "If he dies I'll make sure everyone knows who to blame."  
  
"Get off me, Weasley," Draco snarled, narrowing his eyes threateningly.  
  
Ron pulled back and punched him in the jaw.  
  
"Mr Weasley!"  
  
Ron rolled off and stood up at the sound of Lupin's voice.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Lupin demanded, striding angrily up the hallway.  
  
"He deserved it," Ron replied defensively.  
  
Lupin extended a hand to Draco to help him up. "For what?"  
  
"For deserting Harry and...and allowing his father to capture him again."  
  
"I'm not responsible for my father's actions," Draco countered, his hand dropping from his face after inspecting his jaw.  
  
"If you'd had the guts you would have killed him the last time," Ron said angrily. "Shows just how little you really do care about Harry."  
  
"That's enough," Lupin ordered.  
  
"He told us you didn't love him," Ron raged on heedlessly. "But he loved you...he loved you and you just threw it in his face. You broke his heart when you left. You're not worthy of him, and now he's going to die and it's all your fault you unfeeling son-of-a-bitch!"  
  
Draco threw himself towards Ron, but Lupin caught him across the chest and held him back.  
  
"Ron, leave now!" Lupin ordered, holding a struggling Draco.  
  
Ron gave Draco one last glare, before turning on his heel and striding away.  
  
"I'm sorry, Draco," Lupin apologized, as he released his hold on him. "You don't need to deal with that right now on top of everything else."  
  
"That's okay," Draco replied, his anger fading as he watched Ron's retreating back. "I can understand what he's feeling."  
  
"That's no excuse for his behaviour."  
  
"He's right though, it is my fault Harry's missing."  
  
"That's not true -"  
  
"Yes, it is." Draco looked at Lupin sadly. "I had the chance to kill my father when I rescued Harry from our dungeon and I didn't do it."  
  
"You can't be expected to kill your own father, Draco, no matter what he's like. Besides, if your father hadn't taken Harry, then one of Voldemort's other stooges would have done it and Harry would still be missing. What you have to understand is that Harry's life has been in danger since his birth, with or without your help."  
  
"You don't blame me?" Draco asked incredulously.  
  
"Of course not," he smiled. "And you shouldn't either."  
  
"If only I hadn't left him..."  
  
"You can't dwell on regret, Draco. What matters is that you came back and can now work to put things right again."  
  
"But -"  
  
"We will find him," Lupin cut in as if reading his mind.  
  
The gargoyle suddenly opened to the right of them and Dumbledore emerged with Professor Snape at his side. Severus looked relieved at the sight of Draco.  
  
"How are you feeling, Mr Malfoy?" he asked, with the concern he reserved only for his favourite Slytherin students.  
  
"Alright, I guess..."  
  
"We need your help, Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore said, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Of course...anything to help find him," Draco answered quickly.  
  
Dumbledore smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "I knew I was right about you, young Malfoy"  
  
"We should get started," Snape interrupted.  
  
Dumbledore turned and nodded. "Let's go, Draco," he said gently.  
  
The four men walked silently down the hallway towards Snape's potions lab.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  
  


            Harry was jolted out of his thoughts when the cell door screeched open again an hour later. Two men in Death Eater robes entered and released him from the chains. To weak to move, Harry let them grab his arms and hoist him off the stone table to his feet.  
  
"Let's go, Potter," the tall, thick-set man grunted, shoving Harry in the back.  
  
He stumbled forwards a few steps, but managed to stay on his feet, then walked out of the cell flanked by the two men.  
  
"Turn left," the shorter one barked out.  
  
Harry, following their directions, led them through a maze of darkened corridors that seemed to go on and on. He was tiring quickly, his legs becoming unsteady as he valiantly struggled to stay upright.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours, they came to a large, green door with no handle. One of the men grabbed Harry's wrists and bound them together with a piece of rope so tightly that it cut into his skin. The other one walked up to the door and knocked on it loudly.  
  
"It's Larson!" he shouted to whoever was on the other side. "We have Potter."  
  
Harry could hear a faint muttering coming from behind the door, then -  
  
"Aveda Kedavra."  
  
Harry flinched. The killing curse, but it was said in Parseltongue, and he only knew of one other person who could speak Parseltongue - Voldemort.  
  
The words were obviously a secret password to open the door, as it began to swing forward immediately. The room beyond was very grand, it looked like some kind of throne room. Shiny, black marble tiles made up the floor and green, silk drapes hung on the walls. The room was very cold and smelt of death. At the far end of the room was a black marble throne on which perched Lord Voldemort himself. A ring of Death Eaters were standing on either side, all of them unmasked.  
  
The man named Larson grabbed the rope around Harry's wrists and roughly pulled him forward until he was in the middle of the room. Larson and the other man quickly retreated to their positions with the other Death Eaters, leaving Harry standing alone.  
  
"Welcome to my home, Mr Potter," Voldemort said in a silky voice with sweep of his arms.  
  
Harry remained silent, watching him apprehensively. Voldemort looked much stronger since the last time he had met with him. His scar began to sting slightly on his forehead.  
  
"Cat got your tongue, Potter?" Voldemort chuckled. "That's a muggle phrase, is it not?"  
  
Harry's hands began to tremble. He preferred the angry, shouting Voldemort to the one before him. This one was pleasant and calm...too calm.  
  
"Not in the mood for idle conversation, Harry?" he smiled. "Oh well, let's get on with it then."  
  
Voldemort nodded to the Death Eaters on his right. Four of them stepped forward and stood in a circle around Harry, their wands raised.  
  
"Imperio!"  
  
Harry felt the familiar calming sensation of the Imperius curse flow through his exhausted body.  
  
"You can't breathe..." a voice whispered in his head.  
  
Harry suddenly felt his throat tighten.  
  
"You are out of air..."  
  
His lungs seized up, refusing to work.  
  
"You are choking..."  
  
Harry fell to his knees, gasping for air like a fish out of water.  
  
"No...I can beat this..." Harry thought desperately through the haze in his mind, telling himself that he could breathe again.  
  
"You are choking..." the voice commanded.  
  
Harry felt his lungs slowly being released as he concentrated on fighting the curse. 

       "No!" he gasped, getting to his feet and startling the Death Eaters. 

Voldemort alone looked unsurprised. "Avoiding deadly curses seems to be your luck in life, Mr Potter," he sneered. "But that's all it is - luck. Too bad you can not simply throw the next one off."  
  
He nodded to the Death Eater on Harry's left.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
Even though he was expecting it, Harry could do nothing to stop it. The pain was that of falling to the ground from a five story building. He crumpled to the floor, screaming in agony, his body thrashing wildly to escape the pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying for it to stop. His scar was burning now and his eyes watered as his body was completely overwhelmed by the sheer agony, twisting out of his control. His screams were tearing his throat apart and blood was starting to ooze from his scar and run down the bridge of his nose. He could feel himself on the edge of unconsciousness and begged for it to take him away.  
  
Voldemort had his eyes closed in ecstasy, listening to Harry's tormented screams. He opened his eyes then and nodded at the Death Eater, who lowered his wand and released Harry from the curse after ten excruciating minutes.  
  
Harry lay on his back, his vision fading in and out as he breathed heavily.  
  
"You will be relieved to know that we won't be trying the third curse on you today," Voldemort smiled, rising to his feet. "But soon you will wish for it. How long can the great Harry Potter last? A month? A week? Maybe even a year..."  
  
He made his way down the steps of his throne to stand over Harry who continued to lie on the marble floor, his bound hands now covering his face.  
  
"Every day you will feel Cruciatus upon your body and I will take blood from you to help keep me strong. The day will come when your strength finally gives out and you will ask for death, and I will be there to grant you that final request. I will be there as you ask for an end to an existence that has only brought you pain and suffering. I can wait forever Harry, but I doubt you'll last that long."  
  
He paused, allowing his words to sink in.  
  
"Good night, Mr Potter. I will see you tomorrow."  
  
Voldemort walked out a side door followed closely by a short, fat Death Eater with a silver hand.  
  
Harry's hands began to shake as he lay there, clenching his eyes shut. Someone threw his hands aside and jerked him to his feet. He cracked his eyes open warily. Lucius Malfoy was half dragging, half carrying him to the green door. He pushed against it and it opened easily.  
  
"Apparently you only need the password to get out," Harry mused to himself, half-conscious.   


       He didn't remember anything about the walk back, only that Lucius must have ended up carrying him most of the way. They reached Harry's cell and Lucius threw him inside, Harry hitting the ground hard without his hands free to stop himself from falling. Lucius walked over and stood looking down at him for a moment before kicking him viciously in the stomach. Harry let out a groan and tried to curl into a ball. Lucius untied the binds on his wrists and dragged him over to the stone table where he shackled him once again.  
  
Lucius leaned in, his face hovering close to Harry's. "You are going to pay for corrupting my son," he whispered venomously, running one finger down the trail of blood on Harry's forehead and nose. "There is no one here to take pity on you and I very much doubt Draco will be coming to the rescue this time. It seems he grew tired of you, am I right? You're too much trouble for anyone to stay with for long, aren't you, Potter?"  
  
Harry's heart wrenched painfully at Draco's name.  
  
Lucius smirked. "You're here until you die, Potter," he continued. "And remember it's your choice when that will be, you could be put out of your misery tomorrow if you so wished to."  
  
He straightened up, steel eyes still on Harry's face, and licked the blood off of his finger. Harry turned his head away, feeling sick. Lucius sneered and walked out, locking the door and extinguishing the torches, leaving Harry alone with the darkness.  
  
Harry's shaking increased until he felt like he was about to burst, he finally let go of all the emotions he had kept inside since the throne room and sobbed. The sobs painfully wracked his sore body and tore at his raw throat. He cried for Sirius, Lupin, and Dumbledore, knowing that they were probably very worried about him and desperately searching for him. He cried for Ron and Hermione because he knew that they would never give up hope of finding him.  
  
Mostly he cried for Draco, his love, because he knew he would never see him again. He was glad Draco didn't know that he was in danger this time, he didn't want to cause him any more trouble or worry. He hated seeing Lucius, who caused him so much pain, but had the same eyes as his Draco...  
  
He cried because he knew that at long last the Dark side had won...and he was going to die.


	8. You

                                                                                                            _~ Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?  
                                                                       Will I wake tomorrow, from this nightmare? ~  
  
_

            Draco paced restlessly in front of the fire of the Slytherin common room. Thankfully all of the students were away on summer holidays and he had the place to himself. His mind was keeping him awake, thoughts of the meeting with Dumbledore and Snape running through his head. He flopped down into the black leather couch with a sigh and rubbed his temples, the stress was finally getting to him and his head was pounding painfully. He tried not to think about Harry, but it was hard not to wonder where he was, if he was okay...or even alive.  
  
"If they so much as touch one hair on his head..." he thought vehemently.  
  
A tentative knock on the entrance portrait suddenly interrupted his vengeful thoughts. He rose quickly and pulled the door open to find Hermione standing in the hall. She was wearing a maroon robe with matching slippers and holding two steaming mugs of coffee.  
  
"I thought you might still be awake," she said. "Want some company?"  
  
Draco smiled and stood aside to let her pass. He glanced into the hall before pushing the door closed again.  
  
"Ron didn't come with me," Hermione said knowingly, as she set the mugs on the coffee table and settled in the large, green armchair.  


Draco sat on the couch and wrapped his hands around the red and gold mug for warmth. "Is he still angry?" he asked.  
  
"Well...you know Ron, he lets his temper get the better of him sometimes and I'm afraid no one can trigger it faster than you."  
  
Draco smiled wryly and took a sip of coffee before looking up to regard Hermione thoughtfully. "Do you blame me too?"  
  
"Of course not, Draco," she said, leaning forward to place a hand on his.  
  
"I just wish...what if..." Draco sighed in frustration. "I don't know..."  
  
Hermione sat back and stared into the crackling fire. 

"Why did you leave him Draco?"  
  
Draco gazed into his coffee with a frown. "I left because I didn't want him to die and leave me all alone. I didn't want to feel that kind of pain...I thought it would be better if I ended it before that could happen," he finished lamely.  
  
"You really do love him, don't you?"  
  
Draco looked up at her and nodded, complete honesty reflected in his eyes.  
  
"You should have talked to him, Draco, told him your fears and about your true feelings. He would have understood. He thought you left because you didn't love him, he was never the same afterwards..."  
  
"Did he talk about me?" Draco asked, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to form.  
  
"No," Hermione shook her head. "He forbid us to mention your name. He wanted to get over you..."  
  
"So he moved on? Did he...meet someone new?"  
  
"No, he never left his apartment after he moved in. He removed himself from everybody and everything, including us and Dumbledore. I don't even think he tried to get over you, it was like he'd given up on love. He wouldn't eat or sleep, he started looking so thin and depressed that I was really starting to get wor-"  
  
Hermione stopped herself abruptly when she looked over at Draco. His head was bowed and tears were running freely down his cheeks, little droplets falling into his coffee with a splash.  
  
"Oh God, I'm sorry, Draco." Hermione quickly took his mug and placed it on the table before wrapping her arms around him. "I didn't mean to sound so accusing," she said. "You've been through enough today without me making you feel guilty."  
  
"I'm such a bastard," Draco choked into her hair.  
  
"No you're not," Hermione said, rubbing his back soothingly. "You just got scared. You never grew up with love, so it's only natural that you would fear losing it."  
  
Hermione drew back and made him look her in the eyes.  
  
"I know that you really do love him, and that means a lot, Draco."  
  
"But he never knew..." Draco said, almost to himself.  
  
Draco closed his eyes and let out a ragged breath. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his cloak and stood up. "I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself, it's not like me to be so emotional. I never cried in my life until this past year and now it's almost become a habit."  
  
Draco pushed his hair away from his face angrily, "I've had enough...this isn't going to accomplish anything. I'm going to find Harry, bring him home and stop being so fucking weepy."  
  
Hermione smiled at him. "Harry is going to be so happy when he sees you again," she grinned.  
  
Draco smiled back and tried not to think about all the 'ifs' in that statement.  
  
Hermione placed her empty mug on the table and tucked her feet under her comfortably.  
  
"So, what happened in the meeting?" she asked curiously. "Did they come up with a plan?"  
  
"Well, I found out that there was a box and a handkerchief left in Harry's living room with portkey residue on them, also a clip board belonging to a muggle delivery man named Cary Shields."  
  
Draco began pacing in front of the fire again as he talked.  
  
"They think, and I agree, that my father probably used a polyjuice potion to get inside Harry's flat undetected."  
  
"The security wards protect against polyjuice, don't they?" Hermione asked with a furrowed brow.  
  
"Only if the person is using magic _inside_ the flat, so the alarms didn't go off until the portkeys were activated and by then it was too late."  
  
"How was he able to use a portkey in a protected area in the first place?"  
  
"Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort has created some kind of new, very powerful, portkey."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened.  
  
"Luckily," Draco continued. "This new kind of portkey also leaves behind a strong residue that can be traced to its designed place of destination."  
  
"So we can find out exactly where Harry was transported to?"  
  
"Exactly," Draco stopped to face her. "But it's not a sure thing yet. Snape is working on it and we'll know by tomorrow, it's only theory right now."  
  
"It's better then nothing," Hermione smiled, stifling a yawn.  
  
Draco smiled slightly, a small spark of hope lighting his exhausted grey eyes.  
  
"Well, I better go," Hermione said getting to her feet and stretching. "Looks like tomorrow is going to be a long day."  
  
Draco walked her to the door and held the portrait open. Hermione gave him a peck on the cheek as she passed through.  
  
"Try to get some sleep," she said kindly, before padding off down the corridor.  
  
Draco shut the portrait and leaned against it wearily as his fears of Harry's well-being came rushing back. He walked over to the couch and lay down, willing himself to fall asleep.  
  


* * * * * * * * *  
  


Harry lay unconscious on a black table in the throne room, his battered body magically bound to its shiny surface. Two Death Eaters stood on either side, holding daggers to the pale underside of Harry's elbows. Voldemort approached to stand over Harry's head, his eyes staring hungrily down at the famous scar below him. He slowly placed the tip of his wand on the lightning shaped mark and nodded to the two men.  
  
The Death Eaters pierced the skin of Harry's arms and let the blood run down onto the table. As the red liquid touched the surface it was magically absorbed and disappeared completely. Voldemort smiled as the red glow from Harry's scar flowed up his wand and into his body.  
  
Harry's body twitched as he dreamed obliviously in unconsciousness.  
  


_~ It_ was Harry's twentieth birthday, and Draco had planned a surprise picnic at Adamo Lake. Draco had even gone to Dumbledore to get the place magically secured; no bodyguards and no other visitors. The area was absolutely stunning; rolling grass hills that were a crisp, sparkling green and a vast expanse of dark, blue water that shimmered under the sun. The day was sunny and warm, without a cloud in the sky. Harry had playfully accused Draco of adjusting the weather by magic.  
  
It had been a perfect day. Neither boy had ever been on an outing to a lake or beach before, so they indulged their 'inner child' by swimming and splashing in the water playfully until the sun started to go down. Then they had had a romantic picnic dinner overlooking the lake, of smoked salmon with lemon juice, roasted garlic potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and rich chocolate mousse.  
  
Just as Harry was enjoying his first glass of champagne, Draco reached behind the willow tree they were under and pulled out a guitar. He said he had written a song for Harry and began to sing. Draco had a raw, sexy voice and was always writing songs at home and singing around the house, he said it helped him express himself.  
  
The lyrics brought tears to Harry's eyes as he leaned back on his elbows and listened, completely enraptured. Draco sang with his eyes closed and a small smile playing on his lips, strumming the guitar with the ease of years of practice.  
  
The sky was a brilliant canvas of purple, pink, and blue as Draco let the last chord echo over the hills. He put the guitar aside before placing a gentle kiss on Harry's lips and whispering, 'happy birthday.'  
  
Harry gave a watery smile and leaned in for another kiss. No words were spoken or needed as they closed their eyes and simply enjoyed the intimate contact. Draco shifted back to lean against the trunk of the tree with Harry's head in his lap. He stroked Harry's soft, dark hair gently, as they watched the stars appear in the black, velvety sky.  
  
Harry sighed and wished that the moment would never _end... ~_  
  
"Enervate."  
  
Harry was roughly pulled out of his dream, the aches and pains of his abused body rushing back. He opened his eyes with a quiet groan and looked up into the face of Peter Pettigrew.  
  
"Are you ready to die yet, Harry?" Voldemort's voice rang out loudly from the throne, reverberating in Harry's sore head and causing him to wince.  
  
"No," he managed to gasp out weakly.  
  
Wormtail looked up and shook his head at Voldemort, confirming Harry's quiet refusal.  
  
"Take him away then," Voldemort smiled with a wave of his hand. "Until tomorrow, Mr Potter."  
  
Wormtail released the magic bindings and carried him away to the dungeons. Harry stiffened when they reached his cell, prepared for the physical abuse that Lucius had inflicted when they had returned earlier. Pettigrew carried him to the table and gently laid him down, securing the shackles carefully to his tender wrists that had been rubbed raw from the heavy iron.  
  
Harry looked at him in surprise.  
  
Pettigrew watched him thoughtfully from the doorway for a few seconds before quietly leaving the cell. Harry frowned in bewilderment as he thought he saw sadness in Pettigrew's eyes.

* * * * * * * * *  
  
  
Draco was awoken suddenly by a loud hammering on the portrait door. He quickly jumped off the couch and shivered, noticing that the fire was now just a pile of glowing embers. He flung open the painting to see Sirius Black standing in the hall.  
  
"Sirius," he croaked, his throat dry from sleep.  
  
"I just arrived and was sent to bring you to Snape's lab," he informed him somewhat coolly. "Snape is almost finished."  
  
Draco nodded and followed him silently through the halls. He glanced over and frowned at Sirius' cold behaviour. They had become good friends when he was with Harry, apparently Sirius blamed him as well.  
  
"At least you didn't give me the same greeting that Weasley did," Draco said aloud. "Although, you probably wanted to."  
  
Sirius glanced over questioningly and Draco simply smirked and rubbed his jaw. 

Sirius smiled and stopped to face him. "Listen Draco, I'm not blaming you for Harry's disappearance," he admitted. "I was just angry about how you left him. I know people break up and most relationships don't last forever, it's a fact of life, it was just _how_ you left him so suddenly with no real explanation that bothered me."  
  
Sirius paused to look over at the young man.  
  
"It was a mistake, and I'm sorry," Draco sighed. "You don't know how sorry..."  


"I should have stayed with him as soon as I found out he was living alone," Sirius added regrettably.  
  
"Dumbledore never would have allowed it, two of Voldemort's targets in one place would have made it even more dangerous."  
  
"I guess," Sirius sighed, starting to walk forward again. "I just feel like I could've done something more to prevent this."  
  
"Dumbledore said that this was destined to happen," Draco said. "That we were only delaying the inevitable and no matter what the outcome...this is the way it's supposed to be."  
  
Sirius looked over at him as they approached the lab door. "Do you believe that?" he asked, pausing with his hand on the door knob.  
  
Draco snorted. "No, I don't believe in all that destiny crap. I think our lives are just a game of chance and what happens is just a result of choices we make. It's not pre-destined by some great cosmic force."  
  
Sirius chuckled in amusement. "I didn't think so."  
  
"I also believe that sometimes Dumbledore can be full of shit."  
  
Sirius decided to ignore the comment and open the door.  
  
Snape, Lupin, Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, and Professor McGonagall were gathered around Snape's desk looking at various jars and vials.  
  
"Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore greeted. "It's just about ready."  
  
Draco went and stood beside Snape, watching intently as he added some last minute ingredients to a gold coloured potion. His eyes strayed over the group and came to rest on Ron's face. The red-head sensed it immediately and looked up to glare at him in warning.  
  
"Finished," Snape announced.  
  
"Now what?" Sirius asked, leaning over to look at the vial.  
  
"All we have to do is return to Potter's flat, pour this potion onto an object of his and it should transform into a portkey. When you touch it, it should transfer you to the same place Potter was taken to," Snape answered.  
  
"We will leave immediately," Dumbledore ordered. "Bring your wands and anything you might need."  
  
"I should point out," Snape began, carefully placing a cover on the vial. "That the portkey won't be strong enough to transport us all, probably three at most."  
  
"I'm going," Draco said immediately.  
  
"I don't think so, Malfoy," Ron growled. "We're not entrusting you with Harry's life again."  
  
"Watch it, Weasley," Draco said icily, while pulling his wand out.  
  
"Draco!" Lupin said sharply. "Enough!"  
  
Draco lowered his wand, eyes still glaring at Ron's enraged face.  
  
"We will decide once we reach Harry's flat," Professor McGonagall said sternly.  
  
Just then a large grey owl flew threw the doorway and dropped a letter at Dumbledore's feet. The owl quickly turned and flew out again, apparently not requiring a response. Dumbledore picked it up and opened it quickly.  
  
"It's from Collins, one of the Ministry Guards," he said as he scanned the letter. "There was an attack at Harry's flat in Desiderium."  
  
There was a collective gasp from the group as they listened in shock.  
  
"Harry's alarm went off and when he arrived on the scene he discovered that all of the guards had been stunned," he read on. "But are fine otherwise."  
  
"That's strange," Sirius muttered.  
  
Dumbledore read on silently and looked up at their expectant faces when he had finished.  
  
"Collins writes that the flat was untouched except for the one thing that I was having them protect," he said gravely. "It seems some one has returned and taken Harry's wand."


	9. Draco's Song

A/N - ** This is the song that Draco sings to Harry on his twentieth birthday in the last chapter. I couldn't decide whether to put it in the story or not, so I decided to just make it a separate chapter for those who want to know what Draco sang to him. It's called "You." **  
  
_____________________________________  
  
  


                                                                        _~ The words have been drained from this pencil,  
                                                                             sweet words that I want to give you  
                                                                             and I can't sleep, I need to tell you goodnight  
                                                                             When we're together, I feel perfect,  
                                                                             when I'm pulled away from you, I fall apart  
                                                                             All that you say is sacred to me  
                                                                             Your eyes are so green, I can't look away as we lay in the stillness  
                                                                             You whisper to me, promise you'll stay with me  
                                                                             Oh, you don't have to ask me, you know you're all that I live for  
                                                                             You know I'd die just to hold you, stay with you  
                                                                             Somehow I'll show you that you are my night sky  
                                                                             I've always been right behind you,  
                                                                             now I'll always be right beside you  
                                                                             So many nights I couldn't sleep,  
                                                                             with you I feel alive again  
                                                                             I never thought I would say that,  
                                                                             I never thought there'd be you ~_


	10. Alcestis

        Lucius Malfoy carried Harry's exhausted body back to his cell after another round of Cruciatus in Voldemort's throne room. Harry kept his eyes closed, trying to keep himself from throwing up, his insides felt as though they were shaking violently and he was feeling hot and cold in turns. His scar was still stinging as beads of sweat and blood trickled onto his closed eyelids.  
  
Lucius kicked the door open and dumped Harry onto the floor. He slowly rolled over onto his back and looked up. Lucius knelt down, his hard, blue eyes staring into Harry's face intently.  
  
"You can't keep this up, Potter," he said without feeling. "I'll be back for you in an hour as usual and I suggest you tell Lord Voldemort what he wants to hear."  
  
"Never," Harry said without blinking.  
  
"Why are you putting yourself through this?" he sneered.  
  
Harry stared back defiantly and remained silent.  
  
Lucius smiled and tilted his head to one side, his long, white-blond hair hanging silkily off his shoulder. "Don't tell me you're still hoping for your friends to rescue you?" he said, with a smirk identical to his son's.  
  
Harry finally had to break eye-contact and look away, biting his lip and trying to force the images of Draco wearing that same expression out of his head.  
  
Lucius' cruel laugh echoed in the tiny room. "Oh, Potter, a Gryffindor through and through."  
  
Harry looked back and lifted his chin proudly. "Yes, I am," he said.  
  
Lucius narrowed his eyes, but kept the cruel smile on his face. "I'll remind you of that ridiculous pride as you beg Lord Voldemort, the greatest Slytherin of our time, for death."  
  
"Fuck you!" Harry spat viciously.  
  
Lucius grabbed a fistful of Harry's hair and wrenched him up, slamming him into the side of the stone table.  
  
"Where are your Gryffindor manners, Potter?" he growled, face inches from Harry's grimace of pain.  
  
Lucius hauled him up by his arms and pushed him onto the table so that he was lying with his back on its cold surface. He quickly locked Harry's wrists and ankles into the chains.  
  
"I'll see you in an hour, Mr Potter," he said, holding Harry's jaw to force him to look into his steely gaze.  
  
He let go with a push and swept out of the cell, extinguishing the torches and slamming the door behind him.  
  
Harry lay breathing deeply and willing his heart to return to normal. He reached up one hand to his face, pulling the chain to its limit, and removed his dirty glasses. He raised his other hand and wiped the sweat out of his eyes, then looked down in shock to see traces of blood on his fingers. He tentatively felt his scar and sighed, wondering how long his body could endure this. He wiped his lenses on his grimy sweater, cleaning them as best he could before placing them back on his nose. He suddenly turned towards the door, body tensed, as he heard someone unlock the bolt and turn the handle.  
  
Peter Pettigrew quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He walked over to Harry, pulling a large, iron key from his cloak and unlocked the restraints.  
  
Harry frantically rolled off the table and scrambled backwards until he was up against the wall.  
  
"It's alright, Harry," he whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
Harry eyed him warily as Wormtail approached, crouching down before him so that they were eye to eye.  
  
"I need to talk to you, Harry," he said almost pleadingly. "I need you to trust me."  
  
Harry's jaw dropped open in disbelief. "Trust you?" he exclaimed. "Why should I do that when you tried to have me killed!"  
  
"I want to help you."  
  
Harry searched his face carefully for any trace of honesty. Pettigrew looked a lot thinner than the last time Harry had seen him. His face looked gaunt and lines creased the edges of his small, brown eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, red veins lined the whites of his eyes and there were dark circles underneath. His limp, colourless hair was even thinner, a glimpse of sickly pale skin showing through in patches. Harry glanced down and noticed that he kept his silver hand carefully concealed in the folds of his robe. He looked up, trying to read the eyes of the man who had betrayed his parents and who had been willing to watch him die six years ago.  
  
The eyes in front of him were not the fearful and calculating ones that he remembered, but shone with a wide-open honesty.  
  
"What do you want?" Harry asked hesitantly.  
  
A flicker of relief flashed across Pettigrew's face as he settled cross-legged on the floor.  
  
"I know what you must think of me, Harry," he said. "And I can't deny that I deserve your contempt."  
  
Peter sighed and took a deep breath while Harry waited curiously for him to explain.  
  
"I did betray your parents," he continued. "And all I can say is that I was scared and an utter coward. I won't insult you by trying to apologize, even though I'm sorrier than you'll ever know, because there's nothing I can say that would make you forgive me. I don't expect your forgiveness, Harry, I just want to try to make it up to James and Lily in some small way."  
  
Harry tried to keep his anger in check as his parents names fell from the lips of their murderer. He knew that if Wormtail was telling the truth, then this could be his only chance for escape.  
  
"How?" he asked warily.  
  
"I'm going to tell you how to defeat Voldemort."  
  
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "How do I know this isn't a trick?" he asked.  
  
"You don't," Pettigrew answered honestly. "And I would love to be able to prove myself to you and gain your trust, but there just isn't time. Harry, listen to me, I know the Dark Lord and I know that your refusals to die are starting to try his patience. Soon he will snap and kill you anyway."  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" Harry asked, not believing a word Pettigrew was saying.  
  
Peter reached into his robe and pulled something out. "Recognize this?" he asked.  
  
Harry let his guard down completely and leaned forward in excitement. "My wand!" he exclaimed.  
  
Peter nodded and held it out. Harry cautiously closed his fingers around the familiar length of his holly and phoenix feather wand.  
  
"Where did you get it?" he asked, looking it over in amazement.  
  
"I stole it from your flat," Peter paused thoughtfully. "Actually, it was pretty easy, there were hardly any guards at all. I wonder why there wasn't more security around it? Surely, it's pretty important..."  
  
Harry glanced from his wand to Pettigrew's face, starting to believe him.  
  
"But I can't fight everyone on my own," Harry pointed out. "Even with your help."  
  
"You won't have to," Peter explained. "All you have to do is kill Voldemort and all the Death Eaters will remain powerless for about twenty minutes. The Marks we bear on our arms connect us to Lord Voldemort and he draws power from us when he needs it. As you fight him, he will be drawing power from the Death Eaters and when he dies the strength he took from us will take a little bit of time to return, giving you just enough time to escape."  
  
"So I have to duel with Voldemort again?" he asked with a sinking heart, knowing that he wasn't nearly strong enough to go up against his nemesis alone.  
  
"It won't be like the last time," Peter replied. "The wands will connect again with a thin beam of golden light, but there won't be a regurgitation of past spells."  
  
"What will happen?" Harry asked curiously, part of him feeling relieved that he wouldn't have to see the ghosts of his family and friends again.  
  
"Remember that bead of light that travelled along the connection? The one that you forced into Voldemort's wand?"  
  
Harry nodded, remembering that horrible night when it had taken everything he had just to stay on his feet and fight back.  
  
"This time when the bead touches a wand the holder will be instantly killed."  
  
Harry felt his pulse weaken. "What?" he whispered. "What if I can't do it?"  
  
"You will," Peter said with conviction.  
  
Harry once again looked at the wand clutched in his hand, feeling completely unsure of himself.  
  
"There's something else I have to tell you, Harry."  
  
Harry looked up in trepidation.  
  
"When Lord Voldemort says 'Avada Kedavra,' you have to say the counter curse."  
  
"But there is no counter curse for Avada Kedavra," Harry said in confusion.  
  
"Not usually, but when two brother wands are forced to do battle a second time, there is a curse that you can evoke to cause the bead of light to be lethal to its victim."  
  
"What is the counter curse?"  
  
"Alcestis," Peter pronounced slowly.  
  
"Alcestis," Harry repeated, sounding it out carefully.  
  
"Right." Peter nodded approvingly. "Point your wand at Voldemort as he's saying Avada Kedavra and just shout it out."  
  
Harry nodded his head uncertainly and mumbled the spell under his breath a few times to ingrain it into his mind.  
  
"Oh, and Harry," Peter suddenly interrupted. "Also, I have to tell you that you must not break the connection once it has been formed, if you do, it will kill you both."  
  
"Okay..." Harry swallowed nervously.  
  
"Don't worry, the Death Eaters know that if they interfere, then Voldemort will be killed too, so they won't be a problem. Also, I'll be there and I can help if anything unexpected happens."  
  
Harry nodded again, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.  
  
"The rest will be up to you," Peter said as he gathered his short legs beneath him and stood up. He extended a hand to Harry when he saw that he was still extremely worn out and sore from the Cruciatus he was tortured with only an hour before.  
  
Harry stared at the proffered help, waiting for a sense of betrayal to wash over him as he reached for the hand of his parent's murderer. Strangely he felt nothing.  
  
Peter noticed Harry's slight hesitation as he helped him over to sit on the edge of the stone table.  
  
"I don't know what to say to make you trust me, Harry," he sighed. "But you have to believe that I only want to help you."  
  
Harry looked away uncomfortably. "It's not that I don't believe what you've told me..." he started slowly. "It's just that...it feels wrong to be accepting your help...or even trusting you..."  
  
"I understand," Peter smiled wistfully. "Sirius was right, I should have given my life to save James and Lily. We loved each other like family, and you should always value love over everything...even your own life. I swear I'm just trying to help you Harry, to do for you what I should have done for James all those years ago."  
  
Harry looked at him for a moment, deep in thought. "I...believe you," he said hesitantly.  
  
"Thank you," Peter whispered, eyes shining with unshed tears and giving the first true smile Harry had seen on him.  
  
It was then that Harry noticed how completely changed Wormtail was, not just on the outside, he could see the man his father was best friends with beneath the haggard exterior.  
  
Harry suddenly remembered something Dumbledore had said to him back when he was just thirteen years old.  
  
_~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your debt. When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them...and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter."  
  
"I don't want a bond with Pettigrew!" Harry had said indignantly. "He betrayed my parents!"  
  
"This is magic at its deepest, it's most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me...the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life."  
  
  
_

_~*~*~*~*~*~  
_  
Harry snapped out of his reverie. He knew that he would never doubt Dumbledore again.  
  
"Thank you," he whispered.  
  
Peter, throat too tight to speak, merely nodded in gratitude.  
  
Suddenly, the faint echo of footsteps reached the cell door. Peter gasped, ran to the door, and looked into the hallway.  
  
"They're coming now, Harry," he said, face pale. "Do you remember the counter curse?"  
  
"Alcestis."  
  
"Good boy," Peter nodded. "Don't forget, right as he says 'Avada Kedavra'."  
  
Harry nodded nervously.  
  
"Good luck, Harry Potter." Peter flashed him an encouraging smile and shut the door. Harry heard the click of the bolt and hastily retreating footsteps.  
  
About three sets of heavy footsteps were progressively getting louder from the other direction.  
  
Harry quickly hid his wand in the waistband of his jeans.  
  
Just as the bolt was being released on the door, Harry realized that he had forgotten to re-shackle himself to the table again.   


       Lucius Malfoy walked in and started at the sight of Harry sitting up on the table, chains lying uselessly on the floor. Lucius rushed up to him and wrapped a hand around his throat.  
  
"How did you do this, boy?" he demanded.  
  
"I...broke them," he lied.  
  
Lucius eyed him and squeezed his hand tighter around Harry's neck.  
  
"I don't believe you," he whispered. "You're not strong enough to break iron and you're too weak to perform any wandless magic."  
  
Harry remained silent, praying that he wouldn't find his hidden wand.  
  
"Just in case you're planning something for in the throne room, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take these."  
  
Lucius removed the hand from around Harry's neck and lifted the glasses off of his face. Harry's eyes widened in horror as his vision slipped out of focus and everything around him became fuzzy.  
  
"No!" he yelled desperately, reaching out his hand.  
  
Lucius smirked, slipped the glasses into his robe, and grabbed one of Harry's flailing wrists. "Let's go," he ordered, jerking Harry off the table.  
  
Harry reluctantly followed the blurry form of Lucius Malfoy out the door. He bent in one elbow to make sure his wand was still there and was relieved when he felt it poking into his sweater.  
  
Harry mentally prepared himself, repeating the counter curse over and over in his mind as he walked on to meet Voldemort for the last time.


	11. The Rescue

                                                                                                                        _~ I should tell you,  
                                                                                                               I should tell you... ~  
  
  
_

        Draco and Hermione entered Harry's bedroom and looked around  
  
"I'll check the closet," Hermione said, striding across the blue carpet.  
  
"I'll look in his dresser drawers."  
  
Draco opened the top drawer and saw neat piles of t-shirts in a row. As he pushed them aside, the familiar smell of Harry's scent drifted up to his nose. He slowly picked up a red shirt and held it to his cheek, inhaling deeply and brushing the soft fabric reverently across his skin.  
  
"Draco, I think I've found something"  
  
Draco hastily dropped the shirt back into the drawer and walked over to Hermione.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, peering into the trunk she was crouched in front of.  
  
"It's Harry's Sneakoscope that Ron gave to him in third year," she answered, lifting the small glass top out of its box.  
  
"Perfect. What else is in there?" Draco asked curiously.  
  
Hermione shuffled over as Draco knelt down and started rummaging through the trunk's contents.  
  
The trunk was full of old Hogwarts memorabilia, including little Gryffindor Quidditch flags, school books, birthday cards, some of the twin's joke candy, and...  
  
"Harry's invisibility cloak!" Hermione exclaimed as Draco lifted out the silky fabric.  
  
"I forgot he had this," Draco murmured, fingering the delicate material. "We should bring this with us."  
  
"Do you think Dumbledore will let you go?" Hermione asked as they stood up.  
  
"I don't care what that old man says, I'm going anyway."  
  
"Just be careful," Hermione said quietly.  
  
Draco's expression softened as he looked over at Hermione's worried face. He suddenly realized how hard it must be for her, to have him and Ron constantly at each other's throats and Harry missing at the same time.  
  
"I'm sorry," he sighed, drawing her into his embrace.  
  
Hermione sniffed and returned the hug gratefully.  
  
"Ahem..."  
  
Draco looked up to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway.  
  
"I hate to interrupt this tender moment," he said. "But the longer we wait, the weaker the potion will become. Did you find anything suitable?"  
  
"Harry's Sneakoscope," Hermione answered, holding it up in the palm of her hand.  
  
"That will do," Snape nodded. "Once we transform it into a portkey he won't be able to have it back, will Potter mind?"  
  
"No, he won't care," Hermione assured him.  
  
"Good, let's get started then."  
  
Snape turned and walked into the hallway, followed closely by Hermione and Draco, the invisibility cloak slung over one arm.  
  
The three joined Ron, Dumbledore, and Sirius in the living room.  
  
"The Sneakoscope please, Miss Granger."  
  
"Mrs Weasley," she corrected as she passed it over.  
  
Snape curled his lip into a smirk as he uncorked the potion and placed the Sneakoscope on the carpet.  
  
"This will take a few minutes," Snape said, concentrating as he carefully added the potion to the glass top. "But I believe you have a few things to work out still, such as who exactly is going on this trip."  
  
"I am," Draco stated, just as Ron shouted, "not Malfoy!"  
  
Dumbledore sighed as he observed the two young men.  
  
Sirius suddenly cleared his throat and looked at Dumbledore.  
  
"Harry is legally my responsibility," he spoke. "It's my duty as his godfather to go."  
  
"Of course," Dumbledore answered at once.  
  
"Professor..." Draco started.  
  
"Mr Malfoy, you will also be going," Dumbledore cut across him.  
  
"But..." Ron gaped.  
  
"Mr Weasley, Draco would be very useful as he has extensive knowledge of Voldemort's activities and is well versed in the Dark Arts. He was a valuable spy for us at one time, as you well know."  
  
Dumbledore paused, looking at Ron over the top of his glasses.  
  
"He has certainly earned the right to be a part of this mission."  
  
Ron opened his mouth angrily, his face purple with rage, but remained quiet.  
  
Draco smirked triumphantly at him, while Hermione placed a calming hand on her husband's shoulder.  
  
"Now," Dumbledore continued. "There is still one spot left, Mr Weasley, I would also like for you to go along."  
  
Ron looked up in surprise.  
  
Now it was Draco's turn to gape in shock. "Shouldn't someone who will actually be of some use go?" he asked. "What about Professor Snape...or yourself, sir?"  
  
"Professor Snape's Dark Mark would be detected immediately, and I am getting far too old for these kinds of adventures. No, I will be of better use back home at Hogwarts."  
  
"What about Hermione?" Draco asked desperately.  
  
"Draco," Hermione spoke up. "Ron deserves to go too, he is Harry's best friend."  
  
Ron fought the urge to stick his tongue out at the frustrated blond.  
  
"It's settled then," Dumbledore said with a clap of his hands. "Now, I want you three to listen to me carefully. Once you have transported, this portkey will become useless and vanish, so we have created another one for you to return by. Remember, you will have to be out of Voldemort's range of power for it to be activated."  
  
Dumbledore paused and narrowed his blue eyes seriously.  
  
"I don't want any of you needlessly putting yourselves in danger...for any reason. I don't care what you see, do not attempt to fight Voldemort. The only goal is to find Harry and bring him home safely, understood?"  
  
The three men nodded gravely.  
  
"It's ready," Snape announced, using gloved hands to place the transformed Sneakoscope onto the coffee table.  
  
"Just a moment, Serverus," Dumbledore said. "Sirius, may I speak with you a moment?"  
  
Draco and Ron watched them suspiciously as they walked into the kitchen and closed the door.  
  
"Sirius, I need you to look after Draco while you're gone."  
  
"Of course," Sirius answered, puzzled.  
  
"I don't know what you're going to find there, Sirius...what kind of shape Harry will be in if you find him. I just want you to keep Draco from doing anything foolish and to bring him back by any means necessary."  
  
"Don't worry, Albus," Sirius assured him. "I'll watch him for you, I promise."  
  
"Thank you," Dumbledore smiled sadly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't lose hope, Harry is stronger than he knows. Hopefully, this experience will mend the rift between Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy."  
  
"Don't expect any miracles," Sirius snorted.  
  
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled knowingly as they headed back into the living room.  
  
"All ready, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"Yes, they must leave quickly, the portkey is a little unstable."  
  
"Be careful," Hermione whispered to Ron, as he held her close and kissed her cheek tenderly.  
  
"I will," he replied, looking into her loving brown eyes.  
  
Draco, Ron, and Sirius gathered around the table, looking down at the glowing glass top.  
  
"Here is the second portkey for you to return by."  
  
Snape handed Draco a small, green box.  
  
"Just open it when you're ready and touch the stone inside."  
  
"Perhaps you should put on the invisibility cloak now, before you leave," Dumbledore said. "You don't know where you're going to end up."  
  
Draco flung the cloak around his shoulders as Ron and Sirius grabbed the edges and disappeared beneath.  
  
"Good luck," Dumbledore said to the invisible forms, as Snape stood watching by his side.  
  
"Ready?" Sirius asked the two young men beside him.  
  
They both nodded and held their hands over the Sneakoscope.  
  
"On the count of three," Sirius said. "One...two...three."  
  
They all touched the portkey at the same time and were pulled from the room.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  
  


         Draco landed with an audible squelch and lost his balance as he flailed wildly for support, he grabbed onto Ron's arm and the two fell forward into the mud.  
  
"Get off me!" Ron yelled from under Draco's shoulder.  
  
Draco placed a hand on the back of Ron's head and pushed himself up, sending Ron's face into the mud. He got to his feet unsteadily and looked around.  
  
They were standing in a dark field, long blades of pale grass were leaning in the rough winds. The ground was very mucky, large puddles of water dotting the landscape. The sky overhead was an ominous grey and thunder was rumbling in the distance.  
  
"This place looks familiar..." Draco thought to himself.  
  
He suddenly felt something hit the back of his legs and he was thrown forward onto the ground again. He spluttered around a mouthful of mud and turned to look behind him, wand drawn.  
  
Ron was sitting there, an evil smile glowing out of his mud covered face.  
  
"Weasley!" Draco started forward angrily.  
  
"Draco! Ron!" Sirius removed the invisibility cloak and glared at the two young men sitting in the mud. "That's enough, stop acting like children."  
  
Draco glared at Ron as he stood up and wiped the mud from his mouth on the back of his hand.  
  
"Draco, do you recognize this place?" Sirius asked, looking around.  
  
"It looks familiar..." he muttered, thinking hard.  
  
A flash of lightening suddenly split the sky, illuminating the dark field.  
  
"What's that?" Ron shouted, pointing to the left.  
  
"I don't see anything," Sirius said, scanning the darkness intently.  
  
Another fork of lightening suddenly blazed across the overcast sky.  
  
"There!" Ron shouted, still pointing.  
  
In that one instant a circle of large stones was lit up in the distance.  
  
"I see it," Sirius said. "Recognize it, Draco?"  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"Let's get a closer look," Ron suggested, starting towards it.  
  
The three men trekked slowly through the mud, struggling out of deep puddles and hidden sink traps along the way. Finally, they arrived out of breath at the stone circle. They cautiously approached the outer stones, which stood over twelve feet high. Inside the centre of the circle was a long, flat stone on its side. The ground here was dry and the dirt was packed down as if many people had walked on it, there were weeds around the bottom of the stones, growing up along the rocky sides.  
  
Sirius and Ron watched as Draco entered the circle and walked up to the centre stone. He circled the stone thoughtfully, trailing his fingers along its surface.  
  
"This is it," he announced quietly, looking up at Sirius.  
  
Sirius and Ron walked over and stood staring at the stone lying in front of them. There was a symbol carved into the top of it; a snake curled around a ruby with a lightening bolt on it.  
  
"What is this?" Ron asked, staring at the symbol apprehensively.  
  
"It's the entrance to Voldemort's hide-out."  
  
Ron gulped and backed up a few steps.  
  
"It looks like a tomb," Sirius murmured.  
  
"How do we get in?" Ron asked, looking around fearfully as if expecting to see Voldemort himself lurking nearby.  
  
"I don't remember..."  
  
Draco looked up at the surrounding stones, noticing that they had symbols engraved on them too. He walked around the circle, taking note of each one. On every stone there was a snake curled around a letter, a different letter on each one and no two letters the same.  
  
"What do those mean?" Ron asked curiously, watching Draco circle the stones slowly.  
  
Draco stopped in front of a stone with the letter 'M' on it, the memory of when he was a boy suddenly came flooding back...  
  


       _~ "What is this father?"  
  
Lucius smiled down at his inquisitive son and picked him up so he could get a closer look at the stone carving.  
  
"This is our family stone, Draco. It will stand here forever, showing that we were loyal and true to the Dark Lord."  
  
Lucius turned Draco around and looked him in the eyes.  
  
"One day you will bring your son here to meet Lord Voldemort and tell him of the Dark Lord's great leadership to the true race of pure-blood wizards."  
  
"But isn't he dead?" Draco asked, his blue eyes wide and his voice still containing a child-like innocence.  
  
"No son," Lucius said, placing Draco back on the ground. "He will rise again and we shall both stand proudly by his side."  
  
Lucius walked to the centre stone and beckoned to his son.  
  
"Do you see this?" he asked, motioning to the ruby laid into the stone's surface.  
  
Draco stood on his tiptoes and peeked over the edge to see the red jewel sparkling in the sun.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, turning to his father.  
  
"This will be Lord Voldemort's secret hide-out," Lucius said proudly, "only a select few will be granted access to it."  
  
"Will I?" Draco asked worriedly.  
  
"Of course," Lucius smiled, "when the time is right you will receive your key, just like your father."  
  
Draco smiled in relief, happy that he would not be separated from his father. ~  
  
_  
        "No!" Draco shouted, slamming his fist against the 'Malfoy stone'.  
  
"Draco!" Sirius exclaimed, rushing forward to grab his arm.  
  
Draco wrenched his arm from Sirius' grasp and slid to the ground, placing his head in his hands hopelessly.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked gently, kneeling beside him.  
  
"We won't be able to get in..."  
  
"Why not?" Ron asked, drawing closer.  
  
"Because the only way that the stone will open is if you show the key to the ruby."  
  
"What key?"  
  
"The Dark Mark"  
  
"No..." Sirius breathed, "there must be some other way..."  
  
Draco shook his blond head miserably.  
  
"But we have to...I mean..." Ron stammered, "what if we went back and got Snape?"  
  
"We can't," Sirius explained, "we don't have another portkey to bring us back here. This was our only chance..."  
  
"Well, Snape can make another one" Ron tried.  
  
"There isn't enough residue...we had to use it all on this portkey, there was barely enough as it was."  
  
"We can't just give up" Ron said desperately.  
  
Sirius glanced over at Draco as he sat with his face covered. The three sat in silence as the wind whistled eerily around them, rain drops started to fall, and lightening flashed across the sky above.  
  
"There is one way..." Draco finally said, raising his head.  
  
"How?" Ron asked immediately.  
  
Draco looked at Ron intently.  
  
"One of you has to get the Dark Mark."  
  
"What? Are you mad?" Ron exclaimed. "How are we supposed to do that? Just knock on the door and ask you-know-who if he wouldn't mind giving us the secret tattoo of evil so we could pop in and rescue Harry?"  
  
Sirius was watching Draco thoughtfully.  
  
"You know how to cast it, don't you?" he asked.  
  
Draco turned guarded grey eyes towards him and nodded.  
  
"Won't Voldemort detect it though?" Sirius asked.  
  
"No, he won't be able to detect one that he didn't create, but it will still get us past any security checks."  
  
Sirius nodded in understanding.  
  
"I'll do it" he said.  
  
Ron looked at him in surprise.  
  
"Are you sure, Sirius?"  
  
Sirius nodded determinedly.  
  
"You do understand that you will probably have it for life?" Draco asked in concern.  
  
"It's the only way" he answered.  
  
"Why don't you give it to yourself?" Ron asked sharply.  
  
"I can't cast it on myself...or else I would."  
  
Sirius stood up and looked down at Draco.  
  
"I'm ready," he said.  
  
Draco and Ron quickly got up and stood in front of him. Draco withdrew his wand and wiped the dried mud off on his shirt.  
  
"You'll still be connected to Voldemort though" he explained, looking Sirius in the eye.  
  
"I understand...go on."  
  
Draco nodded and stepped up to Sirius' right arm. He pulled the sleeve of his robe back to reveal his bare forearm; Draco placed his wand to the exposed skin. He glanced one last time at Sirius' face before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.  
  
"Magicus adnexus malus" Draco chanted.  
  
Draco's wand suddenly turned a bright red and smoke emanated from the tip. It began curling around Sirius' forearm and morphing into the shape of a skull and snake.  
  
Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and beads of sweat gathered on his brow as the smell of burning flesh filled the air.  
  
The smoke turned red and Sirius' skin sizzled as the shape imprinted itself onto his skin.  
  
Ron turned away feeling sick.  
  
There was a loud hiss as the snake's eyes on Sirius' arm briefly glowed red and the smoke disappeared.  
  
Then it was over.  
  
Sirius bent over clutching his arm in pain. Draco opened his eyes, his wand slipping unnoticed from his fingers to the ground.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sirius" he whispered.  
  
Sirius looked up, his eyes red.  
  
"It's okay, Draco," he said faintly, "you had to do it."  
  
Sirius straightened up cautiously and walked over to the centre stone; he leaned over and held his sore arm over the ruby.  
  
The snake's eyes opened and two beams of light shot out and scanned the Mark.  
  
Suddenly the stone started shaking.  
  
The three men backed up in awe as the stone lifted up and stood itself on one end. The side with the ruby on it, opened out like a door; revealing a staircase inside that led downwards.  
  
"Impossible..." Ron breathed. He peered around to the back and only saw the other side of the stone...no staircase.  
  
"Let's go" Sirius said.  
  
"Wait," Ron stopped, "let's put the cloak back on...just in case."  
  
Sirius threw the invisibility cloak over all three of them as they descended downwards. Four steps down, the stone suddenly closed behind them, plunging them into darkness.  
  
"Lumos" Sirius muttered, holding his wand out.  
  
They continued down the long staircase and finally came to a large double door. Draco looked at Sirius and shrugged before pushing it open.  
  
They found themselves standing in a great marble hallway that curved out of sight. Large ivory pillars lined the walls; a pair standing beside every door. The white floor gleamed beneath their feet and reflected the gold ceiling above.  
  
"Do you know where we're going, Malfoy?" Ron asked wide-eyed.  
  
"This is the first time I've ever been in here" he answered.  
  
The three slowly walked forward, staying close together beneath the cloak.  
  
A door suddenly opened to the left and two Death Eaters emerged, almost walking right into them.  
  
Sirius quickly grabbed Draco and Ron by the collar and hauled them backwards. They flattened themselves along the wall as the two black robed men marched past.  
  
The Death Eaters walked off up the hallway out of sight, their footsteps fading slowly.  
  
Draco let out the breath he'd been holding and sighed in relief.  
  
"That was close."  
  
They continued on, walking in the direction of where the Death Eaters had disappeared. They rounded the corner and found themselves at the end of the hallway. There were three doors facing them; a black one to the left, a red one to the right, and a gold one in front.  
  
"I guess this means we split up" Draco said, stepping out from beneath the cloak.  
  
Sirius pulled the cloak off of himself and Ron, looking at Draco worriedly.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea..." he said.  
  
"We'll be able to cover more ground this way and find Harry faster" Draco reasoned.  
  
Sirius chewed his lip, unable to deny the logic of Draco's idea, but remembering the promise he gave to Dumbledore to watch over the headstrong boy.  
  
"Alright..." he relented, hoping he wasn't making a huge mistake.  
  
"I'll take this door" Draco said, choosing the black one on the left.  
  
"I guess I'll take the right" Ron said uncertainly, glancing at the red door.  
  
"That leaves me with gold" Sirius said, reaching for the handle.  
  
"Oh, Malfoy..." Ron suddenly called turning towards Draco, "Here's your wand, you dropped it outside."  
  
Draco took his wand from Ron's outstretched hand in surprise.  
  
"Thanks," he said gratefully, "good luck."  
  
"You too" Ron answered, returning the tentative smile.  
  
Draco turned and disappeared through the black door.  
  
"Here Ron," Sirius said, "take Harry's cloak, I know you'll take good care of it for him."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
They stood staring at their doors uncertainly.  
  
"Well...good luck I guess" Sirius said.  
  
"Yeah...good luck."  
  
Sirius gave him an encouraging smile before heading through the door.  
  
Ron took a deep breath, swung the cloak onto his shoulders, and opened the red door.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Draco walked through the door, still marvelling at Ron's sudden act of kindness. There was a set of stone steps leading downwards in front of him. He descended them quickly and came out into a maze of torch-lined hallways. There were iron doors lining the walls with heavy metal bolts and rusty hinges.  
  
"This must be the dungeons" Draco thought excitedly.  
  
He saw that each door had a nameplate on it and he quickly set off at a run, looking for Harry's.  
  
After a long while he came to the very last door. He hurried over, clutching at a stitch in his side, and examined the nameplate.  
  
'Harry Potter' was scratched into the dirty metal.  
  
"Harry!" Draco yelled, pounding on the door. "It's Draco...I'm going to get you out, okay?"  
  
Draco leaned against it and listened closely for any movement inside.  
  
The door suddenly swung open and Draco lost his balance and fell forward onto his knees.  
  
"Well, what have we here?"  
  
Draco looked up into the sneering face of his father.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Lucius yelled, summoning Draco's wand to his open hand.  
  
Draco peered around his father and saw that the cell was empty.  
  
"Harry is not here" Lucius sneered, looking in disgust at Draco's mud covered clothes and dirty face.  
  
Draco looked back to his father.  
  
"Look at yourself, Draco," Lucius said, "he has made you weak. You're risking everything just to try and save his worthless life."  
  
Draco stood up angrily.  
  
"At least I'm not Voldemort's fucking slave!" he spat viciously.  
  
Lucius' eyes blazed dangerously.  
  
"You dare talk to your father that way?"  
  
"You're not my father!" Draco shouted, "A father cares about his son...loves him. You don't even know the meaning of love!"  
  
"And I suppose you do?" Lucius snapped.  
  
"Yes," Draco said, eyes glowing passionately, "Harry loves me."  
  
Lucius laughed cruelly.  
  
"He may love you, my dear boy, but you are incapable of returning it. You couldn't even stay with Potter for very long, could you? I believe you left him broken-hearted...that doesn't sound like love to me now, does it?"  
  
"I love Harry" Draco shouted, saying it aloud for the first time and causing his father to flinch.  
  
Lucius suddenly snaked out his arm and grabbed a handful of Draco's hair.  
  
"You're too late..." he whispered into his ear.  
  
"No!" Draco struggled vainly. "Where's Harry?"  
  
"Adnexus!"  
  
Ropes appeared and bound Draco's wrists together behind his back. A white cloth closed around his mouth; gagging him.  
  
"Would you like to see Harry?" Lucius asked.  
  
Draco looked at his father with wide eyes and nodded.  
  
"Alright...but I'm warning you now, you won't like it."  
  
Lucius grabbed the rope and shoved Draco up the hall. Draco led his father through the maze of hallways, following the same route Harry had been forced to walk, and finally ended up at a large, green door.  
  
Lucius knocked on the door as Draco watched.  
  
"Yes?" came a cold voice within.  
  
"It's Lucius"  
  
Draco heard a strange hissing from behind the door. Then it opened, revealing a black, marble throne room. Draco saw Voldemort standing at the head of a low table in the centre of the room, with two Death Eaters on each side. Lying on the table was -  
  
"Harry!" Draco yelled through the cloth covering his mouth.  
  
He tried to lunge forward out of his father's grasp, but was held strongly in place. Lucius led him forward to the side of the room and Draco turned his neck to look back at the table.  
  
Harry was unconscious; his skin deathly pale and bones showing unnaturally from beneath his thin sweater. His face was a mess; purple discolouration marred his usually beautiful skin and a deep gash that had scabbed over, ran down one cheek. His eyes were fluttering in agitation as he lay there dreaming.  
  
Voldemort held his wand to Harry's scar as blood drained from deep cuts in his arms.  
  
Draco was shoved against the wall, untied, and then chained into the rusty shackles hanging there. Lucius gave his son one last look of disdain, removed the cloth gag, and walked away to stand beside the throne steps.  
  
"Harry!" Draco called out desperately, straining against the chains. His arms ached longingly to scoop up Harry's battered body and get him away from here. Tears ran down his face in frustration as he helplessly watched Harry being abused before his eyes.  
  
Voldemort opened his red eyes and lifted his wand.  
  
"That's enough" he said.  
  
Peter Pettigrew suddenly entered the room and walked over to Voldemort; accompanying him back to his throne before returning to stand over Harry's head. The two Death Eaters stationed by Harry's arms turned and left the room.  
  
"Wake him" Voldemort commanded.  
  
Peter took out his wand and muttered "Enervate."  
  
Harry's eyes blinked open and he winced in pain as his scar burned on his forehead, the familiar feeling of blood trickling down his face.  
  
Peter leaned down so only Harry could hear.  
  
"Harry, where are your glasses?" he whispered.  
  
"Lucius" Harry croaked.  
  
Peter glanced up at Lucius, talking to Lord Voldemort quietly.  
  
"Can you see well enough without them?" he asked.  
  
Harry shook his head and felt dizzy from the resulting burst of pain in his head.  
  
"I can't do it..." Harry whimpered.  
  
"I'll get them for you, Harry" Peter assured him, "don't give up."  
  
"Is he ready to die yet?" Voldemort asked in a bored voice.  
  
Peter glanced down and Harry took a deep breath before nodding slightly.  
  
"Yes" Peter announced loudly.  
  
"No!"  
  
Peter whipped his head to the left and saw a young, blond, man chained to the wall, struggling desperately, his eyes on Harry. Peter vaguely recognised him as Lucius' son.  
  
Harry blinked in confusion at the sound of Draco's voice.  
  
"Excellent!" Voldemort said happily.  
  
Peter turned back to Harry and used his wand to free him from the table. He grabbed Harry's arms and held him up as the table vanished. He let go and walked away to stand by Lucius; Harry stood alone, swaying half- consciously on his feet.  
  
"I knew you'd come to your senses Mr Potter" Voldemort said, descending the throne steps regally. "I am pleased."  
  
Harry cast his eyes around, desperately trying to make out Pettigrew's blurry shape among the group of Death Eaters gathered there.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
Harry turned in confusion, looking around blindly at the sound of Draco's voice again.  
  
"I'm going crazy" Harry thought to himself, shaking his head to try and clear his delusional mind.  
  
Voldemort stopped ten feet in front of Harry and withdrew his wand.  
  
"Goodbye Mr Potter..."  
  
"Harry, now!"  
  
Peter's voice rang out as something hit Harry's foot. Without stopping to think, Harry bent down and grabbed his glasses. He quickly put them on, pulled his wand from his jeans and turned to face Voldemort; ready to fight.  
  
"No..." Voldemort hissed in disbelief.  
  
He turned to Peter angrily; Lucius was sprawled unconsciously on the floor at his feet.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
A blast of green light filled the room.  
  
"Harry!" Draco screamed, squinting against the glare.  
  
The light cleared and Harry was still standing.  
  
Peter's dead body was lying in a heap on the floor, his eyes wide open and lifeless.  
  
"No!" Harry shouted, feeling angrier than he'd ever felt in his life. An accumulation of pent-up rage from events throughout his entire life, starting with the death of his parents, filled his entire being.  
  
Harry lifted his wand and pointed it at Voldemort; wanting to kill.  
  
Voldemort whirled around, red eyes flashing, and raised his wand to Harry.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
"Alcestis!"  
  
Draco watched as the two wands shot out a single beam of light, connecting in the middle with a loud crack.  
  
Harry's wand vibrated as a glowing green bead squeezed itself out of the tip and slid along the thread towards Voldemort.  
  
Lucius stirred and opened his eyes in horror at the scene in front of him. He got to his feet and started to rush forward to aid his master.  
  
"No!" Voldemort shouted, glancing out of the corner of his eye at him. "He used Alcestis...if you break the connection we'll both die."  
  
Lucius stopped, gripping his wand in frustration as he watched from the side-lines.  
  
Draco looked on, silently willing the green light to touch Voldemort's wand. He somehow knew that that was the key to Voldemort's death.  
  
He watched Harry closely, admiring the sudden strength emanating from him. His emerald eyes were dark with fury and his scar was glowing red.  
  
"Draco" a voice whispered into his ear.  
  
Draco turned and saw Ron's face peeking out from under the invisibility cloak.  
  
"Ron!" he exclaimed quietly in relief.  
  
"What's happening?" Ron asked, looking worriedly towards his best friend.  
  
"Harry used some kind of counter-curse for Avada Kedavra. Voldemort said if the connection is broken then they will both be killed, so we can't interfere. I think if that green light reaches Voldemort, he'll die."  
  
"Come on, Harry" Ron muttered under his breath, watching the green light as it slowly got closer to Voldemort.  
  
"Harry!" Draco suddenly yelled in alarm.  
  
Ron looked back to Harry and saw his arms shaking violently, his knees beginning to buckle under the strain.  
  
"Harry, don't give up!" Draco shouted encouragingly.  
  
Harry's eyes blinked in recognition, then brightened to a sparkling emerald; burning with a renewed sense of power. He straightened up and stared back at Voldemort icily.  
  
Voldemort's eyes widened in alarm as his wand began to vibrate. The green light was only a foot away.  
  
The light suddenly became brighter, throwing off tiny green sparks.  
  
Voldemort's entire body was shaking now, his knuckles white as he gripped his wand tightly.  
  
"You're almost there, Harry!" Draco called, "Hold on!"  
  
Voldemort fell to his knees, the light only inches away.  
  
A triumphant smile curled Harry's lips as he watched the light reach Voldemort's wand.  
  
"No!" Lucius shouted in horror.  
  
Suddenly he rushed forward, running straight into the magical beam and breaking the connection.  
  
There was a blinding flash of golden light and green sparks; a smoky mist filled the room.  
  
"Harry!" Draco cried out.  
  
Ron drew his wand and turned to Draco.  
  
"Alohamora" he said, releasing Draco from the chains.  
  
Ron removed the invisibility cloak and stood beside Draco as the mist cleared.  
  
Harry and Voldemort were lying motionless on the floor.  
  
"No!" Ron cried.  
  
The Death Eaters around them suddenly came to life, running towards Ron and Draco. They tried to use their wands and discovered that their powers had been drained, so they came at the two men with their fists.  
  
Ron used his wand to stun as many Death Eaters as he could.  
  
Suddenly someone was fighting alongside them.  
  
"Sirius!" Ron gasped through gritted teeth.  
  
"My powers are gone" he said. "I think Voldemort drained them as he fought Harry. My new tattoo that Draco gave me seems to have disappeared too."  
  
"You were here the whole time?" Draco asked.  
  
"No..." Sirius grunted, pulling a Death Eater off of Ron, "I just saw the end."  
  
"I'm going to find Harry" Draco said, slipping away from a Death Eaters' grasp.  
  
Draco saw two Death Eaters grab Harry and Voldemort's bodies and rush through the green door. Draco chased after them.  
  
"Draco!"  
  
Draco turned and saw his father running towards him, wand out. He ducked the curse quickly and grabbed his father around the waist, hauling him to the ground. A green box slipped from Draco's pocket as he fell onto his father roughly.  
  
Draco pulled back and punched his father in the face; his nose breaking with a sickening crunch. He then reached into Lucius' robes and grabbed his own wand from the inside pocket. Draco stood up and held his wand over his father.  
  
Lucius looked up with wide eyes.  
  
"This is for Harry" Draco said, closing his eyes. "Avada Kedavra!"  
  
Draco heard the rushing sound of the deadly curse and then silence. He opened his eyes and looked down at his father's dead body.  
  
Draco looked away a moment, his eyes clenched shut in regret. Regret of what could have been...what should have been. If only his father could have seen the light...  
  
Draco shook his head and took off after Harry; not looking back.  
  
He pushed open the green door and sprinted down the corridor, his cloak flowing out behind him and his wand held at the ready. As he rounded the corner, he saw the two Death Eaters ahead; one was carrying Voldemort, the other was dragging Harry.  
  
Draco ran as fast as he could and skidded to a halt behind them as they turned around.  
  
"Pertrificus totalus!" he shouted.  
  
The two Death Eaters instantly fell to the floor, dropping their burdens and lying frozen in place.  
  
Draco rushed forward and gathered Harry's body into his arms.  
  
"Harry?" he whispered, cradling the frail body to his chest and placing his cheek against Harry's cold face.  
  
Draco pulled back and saw Harry's chest rising and falling ever so slightly, his breathing shallow and ragged.  
  
"Harry?" he tried again.  
  
No response.  
  
Draco hugged him tighter and gently pressed his lips to Harry's scar, willing him to open his eyes.  
  
"Draco!"  
  
Draco looked up to see Sirius and Ron running down the corridor. They stopped beside him and looked down at Harry, faces pale.  
  
"Is he...alive?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yes...barely" Draco murmured into Harry's dark hair.  
  
Sirius walked over to Voldemort's body and knelt down.  
  
"He's dead..." he said in disbelief. "It's over..."  
  
Draco and Ron looked over at Sirius, there expressions stunned. Voldemort was dead. The war was over.  
  
Draco looked back down at Harry.  
  
"Harry, please wake up," he pleaded, "there's something I have to tell you..."  
  
Sirius stood up and went over to stand by Ron.  
  
"Let's get him back to Hogwarts" Sirius suggested.  
  
Draco reached into his pocket for the portkey and gasped when he found it empty.  
  
"The portkey is missing!" he panicked.  
  
"What?" Ron exclaimed. "Did it fall out somewhere?"  
  
"It must have...probably in the throne room."  
  
"Let's go" Sirius said.  
  
Draco picked Harry up and held him close as they made their way back to the green door. Ron went to open the door...it wouldn't budge.  
  
"Is it locked?" Ron asked, puzzled.  
  
"It couldn't be..." Sirius frowned, "we just came through it and there aren't any Death Eaters still alive to lock it."  
  
Ron pushed again, throwing his whole weight against it. It still wouldn't open.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Ron asked, looking back at Sirius in fear. "If we can't get the portkey then we're trapped here..."  
  
"I don't know..." Sirius trailed off.  
  
"I think there's a password," Draco said, looking at the door, "I heard Voldemort speak earlier and it opened...but it's in Parseltongue."  
  
Draco knelt down with Harry in his lap and brushed dark strands of hair off of his clammy forehead. He removed the now broken glasses and kissed Harry's closed eyelids softly.  
  
"Harry," he whispered into his ear, "we need your help, please wake up..."  
  
Draco placed one last kiss on Harry's eyelids and pulled back.  
  
Harry stirred, his forehead creasing into a frown. A quiet moan of pain escaped his chapped lips as his eyes fluttered open a crack.  
  
"Harry!" Draco cried in relief, his heart pounding.  
  
Harry looked up at Draco's blurry shape and smiled before closing his eyes again...drifting off.  
  
"No...Harry," Draco shook him slightly, "please we need you to help us open the door. Do you know the password?"  
  
Harry stirred again, but didn't want to open his eyes. He wanted to sleep and leave all the pain behind....beautiful sleep...no pain...but something was calling him back. He recognised Draco's voice and registered the panic in it...must help Draco first...  
  
Harry dragged his eyes open and turned his head slightly towards the door.  
  
"Avada Kedavra" he hissed in Parseltongue.  
  
The door swung open and Ron and Sirius ran into the throne room looking around on the floor for the box.  
  
Draco looked down and saw Harry sigh contentedly as he closed his heavy eyes. Suddenly Harry's breathing slowed and his quiet breaths became erratic.  
  
"Harry!" he cried out, shaking him desperately.  
  
Ron and Sirius turned and looked back at Draco in alarm.  
  
"Hurry!" Draco called to them.  
  
Ron suddenly spotted a small, green, box lying on the floor by Lucius' body. He ran over and grabbed it, slipping on the smooth floor as he turned to run back to Draco.  
  
"I've got it!" he yelled.  
  
Sirius ran over and crowded around the other three. Ron opened the box and held it out in the palm of his hand; a bright emerald sparkled up at them from inside.  
  
"Ready?" he asked, "one...two...three."  
  
Draco held Harry protectively as he reached forward and touched the tip of his finger to the bright jewel. He felt himself being pulled away in a whirl of colour, gripping Harry tightly as they disappeared.


	12. Your Eyes

                                                                                    _~ Find,                                                            _

_                                                                                    one song,  
                                                                                    a song about love_

_                                                                                    from the soul of a young man  
                                                                                     One song,  
                                                                                    to redeem this empty life_

_                                                                                    Time flies,  
                                                                                    and there's no need to endure anymore  
                                                                                    Time dies... ~  
  
_

            Draco kept his eyes locked onto Harry's face as the world spun around them. The Hogwarts entrance hall came into focus as they came to a stop amid a group of surprised teachers, it was the day before the start of classes and many of the Professors were roaming the halls.  
  
Draco pushed past them roughly and ignored their shocked inquiries as he took off up the stairs, Harry limp in his arms. The route to the infirmary had never felt so long as Draco flew through the halls. When he reached the hospital wing, he saw Dumbledore waiting at the entrance. He quickly brushed past and carried Harry to the bed Madam Pomfrey was standing beside.  
  
"What happened?" she asked, immediately looking Harry over for injuries.  
  
"Harry cast Alcestis," Draco answered, looking instead to Dumbledore as he joined them.  
  
"Alcestis?" Dumbledore frowned. "The Avada Kedavra counter-curse? It's just a legend, a myth..."  
  
"Well, it worked," Draco said, glancing back to Harry.  
  
He was still unconscious, but his breathing had become a little more stable. Madam Pomfrey removed Harry's jumper and shook her head at the protruding ribs and dark bruises. She removed the rest of his clothes and slipped him into a pair of white hospital pyjamas.  
  
"Other than a broken rib, bruising, and severe malnutrition and blood loss, I don't see anything that should be life threatening," she concluded, glancing over at Dumbledore.  
  
"Tell me exactly what happened," Dumbledore asked, as Madam Pomfrey continued to inspect Harry.  
  
Draco sat down heavily in the chair at Harry's bedside and closed his eyes. "Harry and Voldemort's wands connected somehow," he started, the events unfolding again in front of his eyes. "There was this beam of light, and Harry created this glowing green ball out of his wand. It moved along the beam towards Voldemort. I'd never seen Harry so strong..."  
  
Draco's voice broke and he reached out an arm to clasp Harry's hand with his own before continuing.  
  
"The green light had almost reached Voldemort's wand, he fell to his knees and was shaking a lot. Then..."  
  
Draco tightened his grip on Harry's hand.  
  
"My father...severed the connection. Voldemort said that if the connection was broken, then he and Harry would both die."  
  
Draco stopped and opened his eyes. "Voldemort is dead."  
  
Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Sirius and Ron.  
  
"How is he?" Sirius asked as he rushed to his godson's side.  
  
"There are no life threatening injuries," Madam Pomfrey explained. "But it's almost as if something is still affecting him."  
  
"What are you going to do?" Ron asked, face pale beneath a layer of dirt.  
  
"I'm going to have to do an internal exam, hopefully I'll find the problem and be able to treat it."  
  
Ron nodded mutely.  
  
"Let's leave Poppy to her work," Dumbledore said, to the concerned group.  
  
"I want to stay," Ron protested.  
  
"The exam will take quite awhile," Madam Pomfrey said gently. "I have to treat a curse that has never been documented, I won't know exactly what I'm looking for. I will let you know as soon as I find anything."  
  
Sirius nodded and ushered Ron out of the room before he could protest further.  
  
"Feel free to stay at Hogwarts as long as you want," Dumbledore offered as they walked out the door. "In the mean time, you should have something to eat and try to get some sleep."  
  
Dumbledore turned in the doorway to look back at Draco, who had remained in his chair.  
  
"Mr Malfoy?"  
  
"I'm not leaving," he answered tersely, without looking up.  
  
Dumbledore shook his head sadly as he quietly shut the door behind him and Madam Pomfrey bustled off to her office to get some equipment needed for the exam.  
  
Draco studied Harry's face as he unconsciously rubbed little circles on Harry's warm hand with his thumb. Harry's lips were parted as shallow breaths of air rattled out from his lungs. His skin, where it wasn't bruised, was extremely pale, like porcelain.  
  
Draco picked up a damp washcloth from a bowl on the bedside table and proceeded to gently dab at the encrusted blood on Harry's scar. As the skin was wiped clean, Draco noticed that the famous lightning bolt was glowing a strange green colour.  
  
Draco dropped the washcloth back into the bowl and cautiously swept his fingertips over the glowing mark - it felt hot to the touch. A quiet moan suddenly emitted from Harry's parted lips.  
  
"Harry?" Draco called to him.  
  
Harry started shivering and tiny rivulets of perspiration began to trickle down his face from under his fringe.  
  
Draco stood up in alarm and whirled around. "Madam Pomfrey!" he called frantically.  
  
She came running, holding a silver carrying case.  She saw the glowing mark and held her wrist to Harry's forehead and frowned. She made no comment as she opened her silver case and pulled out a long needle, attaching a vial containing a white, pearly liquid to the end of it. She stopped short of administering the needle when she caught sight of the deep gashes in the underside of Harry's elbows. She took out her wand and muttered a healing spell to repair the damage. Once it had taken effect, she inserted the needle and carefully drained the potion into Harry's vein.  
  
"It will be about an hour before it begins to take effect," she said, removing the needle and straightening up.  
  
"What does it do?" Draco asked.  
  
"It will allow me to scan his internal organs and blood stream for any magical activity that is harming him, a very useful spell that I've had to use countless times."  
  
Draco nodded and picked up the washcloth again to wipe away the moisture on Harry's forehead.  
  
"I'll leave you alone for awhile, Mr Malfoy," she said, placing the needle back into its case. "Let me know if there is any change."  
  
"Thank you," Draco said distractedly, grateful for some alone time with Harry.  
  
Poppy smiled as she headed back to her office. "He's really changed," she thought to herself. "I never thought I'd live to see the day Draco Malfoy said thank you. Potter's a good influence on him."  
  
Draco put the washcloth aside and took up Harry's hand again.  
  
"Harry? Can you hear me? Please wake up..." he looked around to make sure he was alone. "I...I need you. I'm so sorry, Harry, I never meant to hurt you. I need you to come back to me, okay? I'm so sorry..."  
  
Draco choked, angry at himself as tears leaked out the corner of his eyes and fell onto their joined hands.  
  
"Open your eyes...look at me, Harry!" he shouted in frustration, shaking him.  
  
He broke down and fell across Harry's chest as he sobbed.  
  
"Don't leave me, Harry..."  
  
Draco lay face down, crying steadily as the white sheets soaked up his tears. Some time later, he began to feel exhaustion creep in after such a long and stressful day, so he crawled onto the bed next to Harry and wrapped his arms around the warm body.  
  
He lightly touched his lips to Harry's scar, the salty taste of his own tears bitter on his tongue as they dropped from his lips onto Harry's skin. He laid his head down and closed his eyes.  
  
"Please wake up..." he whispered, as he drifted off.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  
  


            Dumbledore sat in his office with Ron and Sirius, waiting for Snape and Hermione to arrive.  
  
"Could I see your arm?" Dumbledore asked Sirius after he had been told of how they had gained access to Voldemort's hide-out.  
  
Sirius obligingly pulled back the sleeve of his robe and displayed his bare forearm, free of the Dark Mark that only a few hours earlier had burned brightly.  
  
"Remarkable," Dumbledore muttered. "I'll have the Death Eaters, which you stunned earlier, checked when they are brought in to see if their Marks are also missing. We have already recovered Voldemort's body and he has been checked over countless times - he is indeed dead."  
  
Just then Snape walked into the office looking as sour as usual.  
  
"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "Could I see your arm please?"  
  
"It's gone," Snape said, not bothering to lift his sleeve. "I felt the Mark disappear earlier. I assume then that Voldemort has been defeated?"  
  
"It appears that way," Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Was it Potter?"  
  
"I believe so, Severus," he paused, watching Snape interestedly. "He used Alcestis."  
  
Snape raised a brow in surprise. "Alcestis? No one has ever been able to prove that it works. You would have to have two very powerful wizards that share..."  
  
Snape paused and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Dumbledore's twinkling expression.  
  
"Potter has Voldemort's brother wand, doesn't he?"  
  
"Indeed, he does."  
  
"So it worked? Alcestis works?"  
  
"I think Harry has proven that, yes."  
  
"Harry has the brother wand of You-Know-Who?" Ron asked in amazement.  
  
The office door suddenly swung open with a crash, startling them all, as Hermione came running in and threw herself into Ron's arms.  
  
"Thank, God, you're okay!" she cried.  
  
"I'm fine, 'Mione," he smiled, squeezing her back.  
  
"Where's Harry?"  
  
"He's in the infirmary," Ron said, smile vanishing.  
  
"Why don't we sit down?" Dumbledore suggested.  
  
They all took a seat and looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Now, I need to know exactly what happened in there," he said, looking between Sirius and Ron.  
  
"Well," Sirius began, glancing at Ron. "We split up once we got inside. I ended up in Voldemort's chambers, luckily they were empty, and so I looked around for a bit. I don't know where Draco ended up, but he was found and brought to the throne room... actually, Ron can tell you more. I wasn't there the whole time."  
  
"It was Mr Malfoy that brought Draco in and tied him up," Ron said. "Draco was chained to the wall and forced to watch Voldemort torture, Harry..."  
  
Ron cleared his throat and forced himself to continue.  
  
"Harry was released from this table that he had been strapped to and he took out his wand-"  
  
"His wand?" Hermione interrupted. "How?"  
  
"From Peter Pettigrew, I believe," Dumbledore answered calmly.  
  
"How did you know?" Ron asked, taken aback.  
  
Dumbledore smiled wisely.  
  
"You knew he was going to give it to, Harry, didn't you?" Sirius asked incredulously, the pieces falling into place. "That's why you left it in Harry's flat with almost no security! And here I was beginning to think that you were losing your touch."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled, eyes twinkling mischievously.  
  
"Then what happened?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Then Wormtail gave Harry his glasses back and You-Know-Who saw him do it, so he killed him. Harry got really angry and he performed that Alcestis curse as You-Know-Who cast Avada Kedavra. He began to fall as Harry forced that green ball towards him. You-Know-Who was clearly going to lose, so Mr Malfoy ran forwards into the connection. There were all these lights and smoke. I set Draco free from the chains and when the smoke cleared, I saw Harry and Voldemort...I thought they were dead."  
  
Ron stopped and looked down.  
  
"Then the Death Eaters attacked us, and Draco tried to get to Harry," Sirius continued. "But I think his father tried to stop him, so...Draco killed his father."  
  
Snape gasped quietly in surprise; feeling for his former pupil.  
  
"Go on," Dumbledore encouraged.  
  
"Draco chased after these Death Eaters who had taken Harry and Voldemort. Ron and I finally managed to catch up to him in the corridor, the two Death Eaters were stunned and Draco was sitting with Harry. Voldemort was dead. Harry woke up to give us the password for our escape, but then he suddenly got much worse and we rushed here...that's pretty much it."  
  
"Is Harry going to be okay?" Hermione asked Dumbledore.  
  
Dumbledore sighed and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly.  
  
"I'm not sure yet," he said. "It depends on if Madam Pomfrey can find the source of what is affecting him and if he has enough strength left to fight against it."  
  
"Can I go see him?"  
  
"Of course, but I would like Draco to have some time alone with him right now. It might help both of them."  
  
Hermione nodded and held Ron's hand tightly.  
  
The group sat silently, praying that Harry would be alright now that he had finally accomplished what the entire wizarding world had been waiting for him to do.

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  
  


         Draco dozed fitfully on the hospital bed, holding onto Harry possessively. He suddenly woke and looked at the clock - it had been over an hour since Madam Pomfrey had left. Draco tilted his head back to look at Harry, he had stopped shivering but his scar was still glowing.  
  
Draco settled back down with his head snuggled into Harry's shoulder and closed his eyes, beginning to dream as he fell into a restless sleep.  
  
        _He and Harry were back at __Adamo__Lake__, having a picnic and watching the clouds go by. He was feeding Harry dark, red cherries; letting him bite the juicy berries off the stem right from his fingers. They were both laughing. Draco picked up a glowing, green cherry from the bowl and held it out over Harry's mouth. Harry bit into it and started choking, his scar suddenly turning a ghostly green to match the cherry.  
  
"Harry!" Draco cried out.  
  
Harry collapsed on the blanket.  
  
"Wait!" Draco called. "I should tell you, I should tell you..."  
  
Draco woke with a shout, a cold sweat breaking out all over his body. He looked at Harry who was still sleeping peacefully.  
  
Draco shook his head and wiped his hand across his brow.  
  
"Mr Malfoy, are you alright?"  
  
Madam Pomfrey had come back into the room upon hearing Draco's cry.  
_

        "I'm fine," he said shakily, still rattled from the nightmare. "Has the potion taken effect, yet?" he asked, trying to divert her sympathetic gaze.  
  
"It should have," she answered, looking to Harry. "I need you to stand back, though."  
  
Draco reluctantly left the warmth of Harry's body and stood back as Madam Pomfrey took out her wand.  
  
"Acclaro Causarius," she said clearly, wand over Harry's heart.  
  
Draco watched in amazement as Harry's veins turned green and lit up beneath his skin, it looked like green bolts of electricity shooting along as it mapped out his blood stream. The glowing in his scar flickered slightly as the light filled his body.  
  
"Oh my, God..."  
  
Draco looked up to see Madam Pomfrey with one hand on her mouth, looking down at Harry in horror.  
  
"What?" he demanded instantly.  
  
"Harry has Avada Kedavra running throughout his body," she gasped.  
  
"What do you mean? How can he have a deadly curse running through his body?"  
  
Madam Pomfrey tore her eyes from Harry's glowing body and looked at Draco. "He's been hit with Avada Kedavra, but he's still alive somehow. I can't explain it. This is what people's bodies look like after being killed by Avada Kedavra, I've used this spell to find the cause of death numerous times. This isn't possible...he shouldn't still be alive."  
  
"Will he recover?" Draco asked fearfully.  
  
"I don't know, this is completely unprecedented." Madam Pomfrey held out her wand again and ended the Acclaro spell.  
  
The light in Harry's body slowly faded, until only his scar was still green.  
  
"I think he has a chance," she said thoughtfully. "If he fights it, and if he really wants to beat it, then yes, I think he could."  
  
Draco sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Harry's chest rise and fall.  
  
The door to the infirmary opened and Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore entered quietly.  
  
Madam Pomfrey joined Dumbledore in her office as Ron and Hermione approached Draco cautiously.  
  
"How is he?" Hermione asked quietly.  
  
Draco looked up, his eyes full of worry. "When the connection he had with Voldemort broke, I think he was also affected by the Avada Kedavra, but unlike Voldemort he managed to stay alive-"  
  
"Again," Ron interjected, shaking his head in disbelief.  
  
"Only, he has to fight it this time."  
  
"He'll do it," Ron said confidently. "He has to."  
  
Hermione silently prayed that Ron was right, and tried not to think of a world without Harry Potter in it. She looked over at Draco to see how he was holding up through all of this. His face was creased with exhaustion, making him look older than his twenty-one years, and his normally well-groomed hair was a mess, with dried mud sticking to the silvery strands. His soft, grey eyes looked as if they held the weight of the world in them.  
  
"Do you mind if I talk to Draco alone for a minute?" she asked Ron, hoping he would understand.  
  
"Not at all," Ron replied calmly.  
  
Hermione flashed him a grateful smile.  
  
"Um...Draco?" Ron said cheeks reddening.  
  
Draco looked up in surprise at Ron calling him by his given name.  
  
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," he said to the floor. "I know you really care about Harry... I see that now. And I'm sorry I was such a prick."  
  
"Thanks," Draco said in astonishment.  
  
Ron smiled tentatively at him before hurrying from the room.  
  
"Did you put him up to that?" Draco asked.  
  
"No..." she said, looking stunned. She shook her head and turned back to Draco, searching his face. "How are you?" she asked, turning serious.  
  
"I've been better," he sighed, running a hand through his tangled hair.  
  
"Maybe you should take a walk, get away for a bit," she suggested. "Why don't you go have a nap, or get something to eat?"  
  
"I can't, what if he wakes up?"  
  
"I'll stay with him for you."  
  
Draco shook his head stubbornly.  
  
"Look, you won't be doing him any favours by getting sick from lack of sleep and food. At least have a shower and eat something."  
  
Draco sighed and looked at Hermione, unable to deny that he was in desperate need of both.  
  
"Alright," he relented. "But stay with him."  
  
"I will," Hermione assured him in relief.  
  
Draco stood up and glanced at Hermione, before leaning over Harry to place a soft kiss on his cheek.  
  
"I'll be back," he whispered.  
  
Draco walked to the door and turned to look at Harry one last time before leaving.  
  
Hermione settled herself in Draco's now vacated chair and watched Harry as he slept. She prayed that Harry would be able to fight the virus that had overtaken his body. She knew that if he died, then Draco would be broken beyond repair.  
  
"They need each other," she realized sadly, hoping that everything would turn out okay. Her best friend's happiness meant so much to her and he had done so much for, not only her, but the entire wizarding world.  
  
Harry had saved Draco from the Dark and she hoped that Draco could do the same for him.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
Hermione snapped out of her wandering thoughts and looked down into a pair of emerald eyes.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
" 'Mione?" he croaked.  
  
She grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table, spilling some in her haste, and held it to his parched lips. He closed his eyes as he swallowed a few sips.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione ventured, afraid that he wouldn't open his eyes again.  
  
She replaced the glass back on the table and turned to see him squinting blearily up at her.  
  
"How do you feel?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Hurts..."  
  
"What does?"  
  
"My head...scar..."  
  
Hermione noticed that his scar was still glowing from beneath his fringe. "I'll go get some help, alright?"  
  
Hermione ran to Madam Pomfrey's office and threw open the door.  
  
"He's awake!" she shouted at a startled Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore.  
  
They swung into action and raced to Harry's bedside. Harry had one hand on his forehead, his fingers rubbing his scar cautiously.  
  
"Harry?" Poppy leaned over him, speaking gently.  
  
Harry's hand dropped and he opened his eyes.  
  
"I need you to tell me what hurts," she said.  
  
"Everything..." he mumbled, now looking on the edge of unconsciousness again.  
  
Hermione came forward and grabbed Harry's hand.  
  
"Wait, Harry," she pleaded. "Don't fall asleep, Draco is here and he wants to see you very much. Please, Harry."  
  
Harry turned her way, eyes widening. She had his attention now.  
  
"Draco?" he frowned.  
  
"Yes, he wants to talk to you."  
  
"I don't want to see him."  
  
"But, Harry-"  
  
"No," he said sharply. "He hates me, and if he came back then it's only out of pity. I don't ever want to see him again."  
  
"Harry, that's not true. He's sorry and...and he wants to be with you."  
  
Harry squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out from under his dark lashes.  
  
"No one wants me..." he whispered, almost inaudibly. "He hates me..."  
  
Hermione felt her heart break at the pitiful state of her best friend. She was just glad that Ron wasn't there or his truce with Draco might have vanished for good.  
  
"I'm getting, Draco," she decided, looking at Dumbledore.  
  
"Hurry," he urged.  
  
Hermione ran from the room and rushed down the stairs towards the Slytherin dorms, as she came into the Entrance Hall she saw Draco reaching for the door leading down to the dungeons.  
  
"Draco!" she called.  
  
Draco looked up sharply and saw Hermione leaning over the stair railing.  
  
"He's awake!"  
  
Draco's pulse raced as he sprinted up the stairs two at a time and ran full out to the hospital wing, with Hermione right behind him.  
  
He entered the infirmary and rushed to Harry's bed. Harry had his eyes closed again and his breathing was extremely ragged.  
  
"What happened?" Hermione exclaimed breathlessly.  
  
"After you left he fell back into unconsciousness and was having some kind of a fit," Madam Pomfrey explained. "He only just calmed down. I'm afraid his system is not handling the virus very well."  
  
Draco tentatively sat on the edge of the bed. "Harry?" he tried. "Can you hear me?"  
  
Harry stirred slightly, a frown creasing his face.  
  
Draco looked at Hermione, feeling unsure.  
  
"Keep talking to him," she encouraged.  
  
Draco turned back to Harry, feeling uncomfortable with everyone watching. "Harry, its Draco...please wake up. I really want to talk to you. I'm sorry for...well, you know, everything."  
  
Draco sighed in frustration and looked away.  
  
"I'm not very good at this kind of thing," he said angrily.  
  
"Just tell him how you really feel," Hermione urged gently.  
  
"I don't know how."  
  
        "Then how is he supposed to know!" she said sharply, tired of the Slytherin hiding his feelings. "The only way Harry is going to get through this, is if you can reach him by telling him what you feel."  
  
Draco looked down at Harry's face, turmoil reflected in his grey eyes.  
  
Harry suddenly started shivering violently, his scar glowing brighter. Draco stumbled to his feet in alarm, and Madam Pomfrey quickly intervened.  
  
"Everyone out, now!" she barked.  
  
Hermione let Dumbledore lead her away to wait in the hallway, fear plainly written on her face.  
  
"You too, Mr Malfoy," she ordered harshly.  
  
"But-"  
  
"No, I don't need your conflicted and angry emotions affecting Harry's recovery."  
  
Draco looked shocked and obediently left the room. He joined Hermione and Dumbledore in the hallway and paced restlessly for over an hour. 

        He finally sat on the floor and closed his eyes, thinking about the raven haired Gryffindor fighting for his life in the next room. He pictured Harry's face the night everything had changed for them; his emerald eyes gazing out from beneath the moonlight flooding the small cell in Malfoy Manor. It was that exact moment that he had realized Harry was no longer his greatest enemy, but someone he had come to value and care for. He had been making up excuses for why he had felt the need to visit Harry in the dungeons, but now he knew what it was that drew him to the other boy. He had wanted Harry to get to know him, the _real_ him. He had wanted Harry to fall for him, and he had. He had wanted Harry to love him, and he had. Now he wanted to show Harry that he was loved in return.  
  
The hospital door suddenly opened and Draco scrambled to his feet. A grim looking Madam Pomfrey stood in the doorway, outlined in the fading sunlight.  
  
"His system is shutting down," she said sadly, wiping her hands on her apron. "There's nothing I can do."  
  
Draco opened his mouth and turned disbelieving eyes to Hermione and Dumbledore.  
  
Hermione put her face in her hands as Dumbledore held her to him, his blue eyes full of sympathy as he watched Draco. Draco turned away from them and bolted down the hallway. 

       He burst through the entrance doors and pounded out into the garden. Evening was just setting in as he ran along the path and collapsed onto the dirt, surrounded by white rose bushes. He lay there trying to digest the fact that Harry was leaving him, that Harry would be gone...and he would be alone. It didn't seem real, it was all just a bad dream.  
  
The roses rustled softly in the breeze, emitting a heavenly perfume into the night air. The garden was bathed in moonlight; as if a beautiful, gauze veil had settled over the flowers. A nearby fountain splashed soothingly as the birds sang their goodnight.  
  
Draco knew that he had to tell Harry how he felt before saying goodbye.  
  
He sat up and reached into his cloak pocket to remove a small, leather-bound notebook and pencil. He opened it to a blank page and lay down on his back, looking up at the stars as they twinkled above him. He thought about what he was feeling, what he had been feeling the whole year he had been away from Harry and how to capture it in words. 

        Finally, he began to write. True, raw emotions were scrawled across the page, transformed into the poetic lyrics of a song. He wrote quickly as the emotions flowed out of him, through his pencil, and onto the page. He stopped and looked over what he had written. He felt his heart constrict at the thought of singing this declaration of love to Harry, just as he was about to lose him forever. He titled the piece 'Your Eyes', scribbling it down on the top of the page and stood up. He pocketed the notebook, knowing that the words were already ingrained into his heart and mind. 

        He inhaled the sweet perfume around him and felt oddly at peace. He walked back into the school, stopping in the Slytherin dorm before heading to the infirmary. He silently passed Dumbledore, Sirius, and Madam Pomfrey who were waiting in the hallway.  
  
Hermione and Ron were standing at the end of Harry's bed, holding each other close as Draco entered.  
  
"He's awake," Hermione said, looking immensely relieved to see him.  
  
She tugged on Ron's arm and they left the room without saying another word, joining the others in the hallway.  
  
Draco made his way over to Harry's bed and placed his guitar on the floor as he sat beside him.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Harry's fingers twitched weakly and Draco clasped his hand, interlacing their fingers together.  
  
"Open your eyes," he commanded softly.  
  
Harry's head turned slightly towards Draco's voice and he dragged his eyes open.  


        "Harry," Draco smiled, leaning down so Harry could see his face clearly without his glasses.  
  
"Draco?" Harry breathed in confusion before letting his eyes fall closed again.  
  
Draco gripped Harry's hand tightly, causing him to open his eyes again.  
  
"Who do you think you are, leaving me alone?" Draco whispered, pressing his lips against Harry's palm. "Hold on there's something you should hear, it isn't much...but it took all year."  
  
Harry followed Draco with his eyes as he leaned down to pick up his guitar. He felt his confused emotions fade as Draco locked eyes with him and began to sing, his voice raw with emotion and becoming stronger with every syllable:  
  
                

                                                _~ Your eyes,  
                                            as we said our goodbyes,  
                                        can't get them out of my mind  
                                        and I find, I can't hide  
                                        from your eyes,    
                                        the ones that took me by surprise,  
                                        the night you came into my life  
                                         Where there's moonlight I see your eyes  
                                        _

_                                                How'd I let you slip away,  
                                        when I'm longing so to hold you?  
                                         Now I'd die for one more day,  
                                        'cause there's something I should have told you,  
                                        Yes, there's something I should have told you,  
                                        when I looked into your eyes  
                                        _

_                                                Why does distance make us wise?  
                                        You were the song all along,  
                                         and before the song dies,  
                                        I should tell you, I should tell you,  
                                        I have always loved you -  
                                        you can see it in my eyes  ~  
_  


        Draco let the last chord echo out into the empty room as a single tear ran down his cheek.  
  
Harry slowly reached out and wiped the tear away with his thumb, tenderly caressing the skin under his hand. He smiled lovingly at Draco, his green eyes shining. And Draco knew that Harry understood and had forgiven him.  
  
Draco put his guitar aside and clasped Harry's hand to his cheek again, kissing the palm tenderly.  
  
Harry closed his eyes with a final sigh of contentment.  
  
His hand fell from Draco's face as his chest ceased to rise and fall. The glowing in his scar faltered and faded as his scar disappeared completely.  
  
"Harry!" Draco cried out, tears cascading down his cheeks. "Please don't leave me...I'm not ready..."  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  
  


        Out in the hallway, Hermione and Ron heard Draco's anguished shouts and they realized with sinking hearts that that could mean only one thing. Sirius wrapped his arms around the young couple, closing his eyes in pain, as Dumbledore patted Madam Pomfrey's shoulder comfortingly.  
  
"I can't believe it," Ron sniffed. "He can't be gone..."  
  
"I will address the school tomorrow at the welcoming feast," Dumbledore spoke hollowly. "They will be told of Voldemort's demise...and Harry's sacrifice."  
  
He paused looking at the grief stricken faces around him.  
  
"Give Draco some time alone," he said, looking at the closed infirmary door. He knew Draco would never be the same again. "I will go to the staff room now, the other Professors need to be told about...Harry."  
  
His voice broke on the name, as he thought of the tragic life of the boy and his parents. They had all been close to him, and he had always felt a special connection with Harry. The young boy had come to him so lost and unsure, and had graduated a strong and accomplished wizard, never complaining about the life he had been handed.  
  
Dumbledore shook his head and swept up the hall with Madam Pomfrey. 

        The others turned and looked at the hospital door sadly, wondering how Draco was doing.  
  
Sirius sighed, knowing the blond was going to be devastated and heart broken. The first time Draco had ever loved some one, and known love himself...and it was so brutally snatched away from him.  
  
The three turned and slowly made their way to the Gryffindor common room, leaving Draco alone.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  
  
  
Inside the infirmary, Draco had curled up next to Harry's still warm body and laid his head down on the unmoving chest.  
  
"I love you," he whispered as he fell into a deep sleep, glad that he had been given the chance to tell Harry those three little words.  
  
Unnoticed by Draco as he slept, was a finger twitching by his side and the heart under his cheek coming to life.


	13. No Day but Today

                                                                                                            _~ There is no future, there is no past  
                                                                                                    Thank God this moment's not the last ~  
  
  
  
Harry blinked his eyes open early the next morning and felt a heavy weight on his chest. He glanced down and saw a mass of tangled blond hair sprawled across his pyjama clad stomach. He smiled softly at the sight of Draco sleeping peacefully, before his brain suddenly became fully awake.  
  
"I'm still alive," he thought hazily.  
  
Draco stirred in his sleep and Harry was about to raise a hand to stroke the blond tendrils when he stopped short.  
  
"Why did Draco have to come back?" he suddenly thought angrily. "He should have just let me die."  
  
He suddenly felt a strong desire to disappear, to leave Hogwarts and forget any of this ever happened.  
  
He tried to move his weak limbs, and managed to draw his knees up slightly. He gasped with pain from the effort this small action required. He concentrated all his energy on drawing his elbows beneath him to support his upper body, as he carefully tipped his chest to one side and let Draco's head slip off to rest gently on the mattress. Draco stirred again, mumbling incoherently, but remained fast asleep.  
  
Harry took a deep breath and shuffled over to the edge of the bed. He pushed himself into a sitting position and lowered his bare feet to the ground. He tried to stand but, unaware that Draco's hand was still clutching the back of his pyjamas, he lost his balance and fell to the floor with a thud. He emitted a low groan as sparks of pain flashed throughout his sore body.  
  
There was a squeaking of bedsprings as Draco sat bolt upright and glanced down at the empty space beside him, thinking that someone had taken Harry's body away already, he threw back the sheets and leapt out of bed.  
  
His feet hit the floor, and with his first step, he tripped over something and fell forwards onto the ground. A muffled groan came from beneath his leg and he turned to see Harry lying under him; very much alive and wincing in pain.  
  
"Harry?" Draco cried, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing. His pulse raced as he scrambled off of him and leaned over, looking into Harry's face intently.  
  
Harry opened his eyes, and Draco felt faint as those blessedly familiar emerald eyes gazed up at him.  
  
"You're alive," he breathed.  
  
"Apparently," Harry groaned again in discomfort.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I was until you fell on me."  
  
Draco grinned and swept Harry into his arms as he stood up.  
  
"What are you doing?" Harry cried in alarm, the room tilting dizzily before his eyes.  
  
Draco sat on the edge of the bed, cradling Harry to his chest.  
  
"Please let me go," Harry begged, trying to wriggle out of Draco's strong arms.  
  
Draco looked into Harry's frightened eyes and released him. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern, as Harry stumbled to the bed across from him and sat down.  
  
"I want you to leave me alone. I...I don't want to see you anymore."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
Harry looked away from the hurt in Draco's eyes and didn't answer.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere unless you give me a good reason, Harry."  
  
Harry continued to stare out the window, the quidditch hoops standing tall in the distance.  
  
"Well?" Draco asked impatiently.  
  
Harry snapped his head around, eyes full of anger and hurt. "Admit it, the only reason you came back was because you felt guilty. You came back because you wanted a clear conscious and no one to blame you for causing the capture and death of the famous Harry Potter."  
  
"That's not true!" Draco exclaimed in shock.  
  
"Yes it is!" Harry shouted. "The sad and pitiful Harry Potter that everyone felt sorry for, because Draco Malfoy left him. Poor, stupid me, fooled into believing that maybe, just maybe, one thing in my life could go right. That maybe I could find happiness and love with someone willing to share their life with me and who could understand me in return. I see now that I'll have to be content with a life full of the hollow admiration of others who don't really want to know me beyond the scar and tragic life story."  
  
Harry's voice broke as tears filled his eyes. "Why is it that everyone can admire me, but no one can love me?"  
  
"Harry, listen to me," Draco pleaded, kneeling on the floor at Harry's feet and taking his hand. "I came back before I knew that you had been captured. I didn't find out until after I had arrived at your flat and Remus told me everything. I __wanted to come back..."  
  
"Why?" Harry asked coldly, angrily wiping tears from his cheeks with his free hand.  
  
"Because I love you."  
  
Harry's lips parted in surprise. "You do?"  
  
"I've always loved you, Harry, I just didn't know how to say it."  
  
"Then why did you leave me?" Harry asked, the hurt still visible in his glassy eyes.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Harry, but I was scared. Your life was constantly in danger and I didn't want to lose you."  
  
"How could you hurt me like that if you loved me?"  
  
"It was a stupid thing to do, I know, I admit it. What you have to understand is that you're the first person I've ever loved, and I was so scared of losing that. I know I hurt you and I'm sorry...God, you don't know how sorry, but I do love you and I want us to be together again. Can...can you forgive me?"  
  
Harry looked away from Draco, feeling torn. He had never seen Draco like this before; so emotional and open about his feelings. Draco looked sorry and had gone through a lot...but then so had he. He wasn't sure if he was ready to forgive him so easily for all the suffering he had caused, he didn't think his pride would let him...  
  
"I don't know," Harry whispered. "I don't think I can..."  
  
Draco nodded coldly and stood up. Harry watched as he walked to the door without a word and turned the handle.  
  
"You're making a mistake!" Harry's heart screamed at him. He tried to ignore it, and listen to his brain instead as it congratulated him on standing his ground.  
  
Draco opened the door. "Goodbye, Harry."  
  
He paused as if waiting for a response, then left silently when none came.  
  
Harry suddenly felt very alone and empty, his heart clenching in regret.  
  
__"I should tell you, I should tell..." Lyrics to a song tauntingly played in his ear. He suddenly thought of Draco singing to him as he was lying in this very room. It was Draco's voice that had pulled him back to life, Draco saying that he loved him, Draco...  
  
"What have I done?" Harry gasped. Fuck his stupid pride, he needed Draco in his life.  
  
Harry shakily got to his feet and stumbled towards the door, he wrenched it open and fell out into the hall. He could just make out the blurry shape of Draco's retreating back down the corridor.  
  
"Draco!" he called desperately.  
  
Draco turned and saw Harry lying on the ground, calling to him. He sprinted up the hallway and fell to his knees, and into Harry's open arms. They clung to each other tightly, tears coursing down their cheeks.  
  
"I need you," Harry choked, his face pressed into Draco's neck.  
  
"I need you too, love."  
  
They sat holding each other desperately, all the past doubt and pain washing away with their tears.  
  
Draco finally pulled back and wiped the salty drops from Harry's cheek with a smile. "Let's get you back inside," he said shakily.  
  
He helped Harry to his feet and led him back to the hospital bed. They sat leaning against the pillows side by side, their hands clasped between them.  
  
"What happened to Voldemort?" Harry finally asked.  
  
"He's dead, thanks to you."  
  
Harry sighed and closed his eyes. "I can't believe it's over," he whispered. "It doesn't seem real. I had that one goal for so long...now I don't know what to do with my life."  
  
"All you have to worry about now is what to make me for breakfast," Draco smiled. He realized it was the wrong thing to say when he suddenly remembered the last time Harry had tried to make him breakfast.  
  
The same thought must have occurred to Harry as well. "Let's not talk about that," he said. "What's done is done and we can't change it."  
  
"Agreed," Draco said, giving Harry's hand a squeeze.  
  
"Thank you for the song."  
  
Draco turned his head on the pillow towards Harry.  
  
"It was beautiful."  
  
"Thank you," Draco blushed. "I wrote it for you."  
  
They smiled goofily at each other until Draco suddenly noticed that Harry was still without his glasses. He sat up and reached over to the bedside table to pick up the broken frames, then extracted his wand and tapped them gently.  
  
"Occulus Reparo."  
  
He handed Harry the newly repaired glasses and watched in satisfaction as he put them on.  
  
"Better?" Draco asked, stowing his wand back in his pocket.  
  
"Much," Harry smiled gratefully.  
  
Draco snuggled back down beside him and looked into his eyes. "Your scar is gone," he finally mentioned quietly, moving Harry's dark fringe aside to look at the now unmarred skin.  
  
"Really?" Harry's eyes widened. "I want to see."  
  
Draco stood up and unhooked the round, gold mirror from the wall and placed it into Harry's hands. Harry touched his forehead in wonder, the skin now smooth beneath his fingers.  
  
"I guess it was just a part of the connection between you and Voldemort," Draco said, sitting back down.  
  
"I know it sounds weird, but I kind of miss it," Harry admitted, lowering the mirror.  
  
"That's not surprising, you've had it all your life."  
  
"This is so surreal," Harry said, shaking his head.  
  
"I know, my love," Draco said, taking up Harry's hand again.  
  
"I like it when you call me that," Harry blushed.  
  
"I like calling you that," Draco smiled, tucking a lock of Harry's raven hair behind his ear. "Jeez, we sound like a couple of sappy, love-sick teenagers."  
  
Harry laughed and leaned against Draco's shoulder. Draco kissed the top of his head and wrapped his arms around him. They sat together in comfortable silence for a long time.  
  
"I should probably go tell everyone you're alive," Draco eventually said with reluctance.  
  
"Maybe I should I do it," Harry chuckled.  
  
Draco glanced at the clock and realized in shock that it was almost time for the feast to start. One corner of his lip curled up as a mischievous glint suddenly lit his eyes.  
  
Harry looked up at him and raised one brow in a very Malfoy-ish expression.  
  
"Shall we?" Draco asked, standing and extending an arm to Harry.  
  
Harry grinned and accepted his hand.  
  
Draco helped support him as they slowly made their way towards the Great Hall.  
  
_

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  
  
        Dumbledore sat in his seat at the head table, surveying the students before him with a sombre expression. He patiently waited as the new first years were sorted into their respective houses. He glanced to his left and saw Snape watching him with a worried expression in his dark eyes, but he looked away the moment they locked gazes, smoothing his expression into its usual mask of cool indifference. He glanced to his right and saw the pale faces of Ron, Hermione, and Sirius, who he had asked to join the feast with him.  
  
As the final first year sat upon the stool to be sorted, the doors to the Great Hall banged open and Draco Malfoy came strolling in and up to the head table. He stopped and leaned against it casually as he silently observed the familiar sorting ritual with a barely concealed smile on his face.  
  
Professor McGonagall removed the Sorting Hat and the stool as a small girl with bouncing red pig-tails ran off to join the Hufflepuff table.  
  
Dumbledore glanced at Draco curiously before getting to his feet.  
  
"Welcome back to another year of learning and magic making," he smiled, at the sea of attentive faces. "I have something important to say before the usual announcements and opening remarks. Lord Voldemort -"  
  
The students jumped simultaneously.  
  
"- has been defeated once and for all."  
  
The student's eyes widened in shock, not knowing whether to cheer or cry in relief; they opted for a stunned silence as Dumbledore continued.  
  
"The war is over and the Ministry has managed to capture all of the Death Eaters responsible and imprison them with the Azkaban Guards, who have now been reinstated. I know you will not soon forget the pain and suffering that can occur when one wizard promotes segregation and the importance of blood type. We must always stand united and never forget the sacrifices of your friends and family. Many have died needlessly in this war and we must honour them as they so deserve.  
  
Here Dumbledore paused and looked around him.  
  
"We have one person to thank for the downfall of Lord Voldemort, and that person is Harry Potter. We expected so much from that extraordinary young man and he never let us down."  
  
Hermione buried her face in her hands and sobbed quietly. Ron put an arm around her as Sirius just stared blankly at the table. Draco uncrossed his long legs elegantly and continued to watch Dumbledore in silent amusement.  
  
"Harry Potter has been in the hospital wing fighting for his life, and I'm sorry to say that last night he lost that battle."  
  
The students gasped and a few burst into tears.  
  
Draco decided that that was enough and walked over to Dumbledore. "May I say something?" he interrupted.  
  
Dumbledore nodded in surprise as Draco turned to address the hall.  
  
"You are all here because you possess the ability to do magic and the ability to do great things with that magic. There is nothing stronger than the bond between wizards, and that bond allows us to accomplish many feats of bravery and strength that you might not otherwise have known you possessed. Harry taught us that you must never give up hope, no matter what the situation. Inside your hearts lies the most powerful magic of all and with that magic _anything_ is possible."  
  
Draco withdrew his wand and pointed it at the closed entrance doors to the Great Hall. The students turned to watch as a jet of red sparks shot towards the doors, causing them to fly open and reveal Harry standing tall on the threshold.  
  
Everyone at the head table leapt to their feet with a gasp of astonishment and disbelief.  
  
    Draco smiled, leapt off of the platform, and ran down the aisle towards Harry. They embraced joyfully as the entire school erupted into cheers and applause.  
  
Hermione, Ron, and Sirius clambered down from the head table and raced towards Harry. Draco released him as Sirius grabbed him from behind and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Harry laughed as Ron and Hermione threw themselves on top of him and Sirius. Draco stood back and smiled fondly at the four of them.  
  
"C'mere, Draco."  
  
Hermione grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him into the group hug. Ron slung an arm around his shoulders and smiled at him. Harry just grinned happily as the school continued to cheer.  
  
Dumbledore reached the joyful group and addressed Draco with an accusing stare.  "Mr Malfoy, why did you not interrupt me earlier?"  
  
"You know I have a flair for the dramatic," Draco smirked. "Plus, I wanted Harry to hear what you had to say about him. It's not everyday you get to hear your own eulogy."  
  
"Thank, God," Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
Dumbledore shook his head, but his eyes twinkled with hidden pleasure that everything had turned out alright.  
  
Draco turned to Harry, and the two smiled at each other fondly as everyone else continued to cheer and talk around them.  
  
'I love you,' Draco mouthed silently.  
  
'I love you, too,' Harry repeated right back.  
  
The celebrations lasted all night and well into the morning, classes were immediately cancelled for the next day as the students fell into their beds around five am.  
  
Harry was pronounced in perfect health by Madam Pomfrey, to the relief of all, and was told that he could go home. All traces of the Avada Kedavra virus were gone from his body.  
  


                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *  


        Harry and Draco stood on the steps of Hogwarts in the early morning sunshine, making their goodbyes.  
  
"Thanks for everything" Harry said, hugging Dumbledore affectionately.  
  
Beside him Draco was shaking Snape's hand in farewell.  
  
Harry stepped back and turned to Snape. "Thank you Professor Snape, without your help no one would've been able to find me."  
  
"Yes, well..." Snape looked distinctly uncomfortable. "You're just lucky that you mean so much to one of my best pupils."  
  
Harry smiled as Draco wrapped his arms around him from behind. A horse-less carriage suddenly pulled up to the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Come on, Harry."  
  
Draco helped Harry, who was still a little weak, down the steps as he waved frantically at the gathered group of friends. Ron and Hermione waved back, grinning like idiots, as Sirius and the two Professors looked on proudly.  
  
Draco helped Harry into the carriage before hopping in beside him. They sat back in the plush cushions, Harry's head resting on Draco's shoulder and finger intertwined, as the carriage carried them away from the school and out the front gates. Harry smiled and snuggled closer to Draco as he sleepily wondered what the future would hold for them.


	14. Epilogue

_~ Epilogue ~_

  
  
  
Harry was sitting with Draco's head in his lap, as they lay together on a large, red blanket under the willow tree at Adamo Lake. The water was gently lapping against the nearby pier and their newly built house was silhouetted against the darkening sky in the distance. Harry was brushing Draco's hair with his fingers, untangling the damp locks after a relaxing day of swimming and sun bathing. Draco had his eyes closed and a content look on his face.  
  
Harry smiled and could resist no longer as he leaned down to kiss Draco gently on his closed lips. Draco opened his eyes with a smile and tugged Harry down to the blanket beside him. They wrapped their arms around each other and Draco leaned in to softly touch his lips to Harry's. Draco placed a few more tender kisses over Harry's jaw and throat before pulling away. He reached over and pulled a tiny, purple box from his discarded cloak pocket, before sitting up.  
  
"Harry."  
  
Harry opened his eyes and looked up at him.  
  
"I want to give you something."  
  
Draco opened the lid of the velvet box and two silver rings sparkled up at Harry in the setting sun. Harry sat up and touched the rings in wonder with his finger.  
  
"I just wanted to give you something that would symbolize how much you mean to me," Draco said softly. "I want you to know that this is for life."  
  
Draco removed one of the rings and slipped it onto Harry's finger. Harry looked down at the inscription scrawled into the shining metal - _'no day but today_.'  
  
Harry smiled and gently placed the other ring on Draco's waiting hand, noting with pleasure that the inscription was identical.  
  
No words were spoken as they entwined their fingers in the fading sunlight, the rings clinking against each other softly as they kissed with all the love in their hearts.  
  


                                                                                                _~ There's only us, there's only this  
         forget regret or life is yours to miss  
  
            There's only us, only tonight  
            we must let go to know what's right  
  
        I can't control my destiny, I trust my soul -   
       my only goal is just to be  
  
        There's only now, there's only here  
          give in to love or live in fear  
  
        No other path, no other way  
        no day but today ~_


End file.
